Jorg Haider's Death Could Speed Austria's March to the Right

Jorg Haider was celebrated and derided at home and abroad, and his death may clear the path to a stronger right wing in an increasingly conservative Austria.

Possible Unification of Far-Right Political Groups

Coming just weeks after staging a dramatic national comeback, Austrian political leader Jorg Haider’s death this weekend could actually serve to strengthen the progress made by far-right parties during the September elections.

Winning 11 percent of the national vote late last month, Haider’s Alliance for Austria’s Future shared sizable electoral gains for the far right with the country’s Freedom Party, signaling a national shift to more conservative governance.

Combined, the two parties made it impossible for any other party to claim a majority in the Austrian Parliament.

However, with his young party left without a leader, early reports point to a possible collaboration between the two far-right groups, which would give them a 29 percent presence in Parliament.

“This will unify the right-wing camp,” Emmerich Talos, professor of political science at the University of Vienna, told The New York Times.

A melding of the two parties would put them one point away from becoming the country’s strongest political force.