Political deadlock has brought Austria's far-right Freedom Party to the brink of power. That has created unease among those who worry that joining the Cabinet will legitimize the party's extreme views -- and those of like-minded political groups elsewhere in Europe. Freedom's views are troublesome, but as the junior partner in the planned coalition, they need not set government policy. Instead, Austria's mainstream parties must address the malaise and practices that eroded their popular support. Only that will erase the threat posed by the upstart party.
Austrian politics have been dominated during the postwar era by the Social Democrats and the People's Party, a conservative group. While a Social Democrat has served as chancellor for 30 years, the two parties have divided up political and administrative posts between themselves. A tightly regulated economy has guaranteed a close relationship between business and politics that would be familiar to any observer of Japan's "iron triangle" -- and has created many of the same problems.
Last October, Austrian voters rejected the status quo in parliamentary elections. The Social Democrats maintained their position as the leading political party with one-third of the legislature's 183 seats, while the Freedom Party squeezed past the People's Party to claim the number two spot, although they each have 52 seats. The Social Democrats ruled out a coalition with Freedom, citing the nationalist rhetoric and the anti-immigration, anti-EU policies of its leader, Mr. Joerg Haider. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Viktor Klima was unable to reach agreement with his former partners and their 13-year coalition collapsed. The number two and three parties announced they had begun negotiations and were likely to form a government within a week.