Salonfähig: The Mainstreaming of the Freedom Party of Austria

This paper explores the process of attaining sociopolitical legitimacy, or Salonfähigkeit, by the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). The FPÖ has historically been subjected to partial or total ostracism due to its portrayal as a right-wing populist party whose rhetoric and policies were not acceptable within Austrian public discourse. Since the 1990s, the party has both intensified its rhetoric and increased its vote share, leading to greater political participation, partly favoured by Austria’s long history of democratic consociationalism, which emphasises consensus, political stability and power-sharing between competing parties. Especially through its complex interactions with the mainstream conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), which oscillate between competition and collaboration, the FPÖ has succeeded in its own mainstreaming, to the point of being perceived as a legitimate contender for national leadership. Through a historical review of Austrian party politics since the decline of its consociational system in the late 1980s, the paper’s first sections examine how the FPÖ’s trajectory has interacted with that of the ÖVP. This is followed by a case study examining subnational (Land-level) political developments in the 2020s, highlighting how Black-Blue (ÖVP-FPÖ) coalitions contributed to the Freedom Party’s mainstreaming. Finally, Austria’s post-electoral scenario is analysed, with considerations made on the centrist Stocker government and the future of Austrian conservatism.