German far right emboldened by Austria

by Olivier FENIET with Femke Colborne in Berlin

Buoyed by the endorsement of Elon Musk and enjoying new highs in the polls ahead of elections in February, Germany's far-right AfD is hoping for a further boost from the success of the far right in neighboring Austria.

Long shunned by the political establishment, Austria's Freedom Party (FPOe) is currently on the brink of power after being invited to try to form a government with the conservative People's Party (OeVP).

"We saw what was suddenly possible in Austria and let's see what happens here," AfD deputy parliamentary group leader Beatrix von Storch said on the sidelines of a party conference in the eastern town of Riesa on Sunday.

Herbert Kickl's FPOe had emerged as the largest party at elections in September with around 29 percent of the vote, while the AfD is trailing in second place in Germany behind the conservatives.

But the AfD, which this weekend officially named 45-year-old Alice Weidel as its candidate to be the German chancellor, is catching up -- with one recent survey showing it on 22 percent, just eight points behind the conservatives.

The anti-immigration AfD has little chance of being part of Germany's next government since other parties have committed to maintaining a so-called "firewall" to keep the far right out of government.

But the party founded in 2013, which initially sought to attract voters by positioning itself as anti-establishment, has started to turn its eyes towards power and is calling for the firewall to be dismantled.

- 'Will of the voters' -

The AfD has looked on with interest not only at the FPOe in Austria, but also at the return of Donald Trump -- whose policies are similar to those of the AfD in many areas.

"You've seen what happened in Austria. We'll have to wait and see how the negotiations turn out... But I do see it as positive that in the long term they can't ignore the will of the voters," said Giesela Elliott, a delegate at the conference in Riesa from the western town of Dueren.

"If you want to understand the AfD, you have to look to Vienna," the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung wrote this week.

"That's just what Alice Weidel is doing. The German far right is watching with interest as Herbert Kickl's FPOe climbs over the firewalls," it said.

The similarities between the FPOe and the AfD are many, from their tough stance on migration to sympathy with Russia and hostility towards the European Union.

During its congress this weekend, the AfD clearly called for the "withdrawal of Germany from the European Union" as well as a new national currency for Germany as an alternative to the euro -- a sharpening of its previous position on the EU.

Weidel also explicitly called for the "remigration" of foreigners.

- 'People's chancellor' -

In Austria, Kickl may have a mandate from the electorate but large parts of the political establishment remain alarmed by his divisive rhetoric.

Kickl frequently employs terms reminiscent of the troubled past of the FPOe -- founded by former Nazis -- even though he denies using Nazi references.

This includes calling himself the future "Volkskanzler" -- the people's chancellor -- as Adolf Hitler was called.

In Germany, the AfD has a powerful radical wing led by firebrand Bjoern Hoecke, who is regularly accused of historical revisionism and has been convicted of using a Nazi slogan at election rallies.

"The negotiations between the FPOe and OeVP are being followed closely by German politicians" with Weidel in particular "inspired by the success of her Austrian sister party", wrote the Austrian daily Der Standard on Sunday.

"The fact that Herbert Kickl is now negotiating with the OeVP and the chancellorship has moved a great deal closer for him gives Weidel hope," Der Standard wrote.

"In Germany, too, she says, the firewall against the AfD will soon fall."

© Agence France-Presse