Daily Times

VIENNA: Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann quit Monday, bowing to intense pressure two weeks after the opposition anti-immigration far-right dealt his coalition a historic blow in the first round of presidential elections.

The centre-left Faymann, 56, chancellor since 2008, said in a statement that he no longer had “strong backing” in his party, the Social Democrats (SPOe). “As a result of this insufficient support I am drawing the consequences and resign my functions as party leader and chancellor, effective today,” he said.

The SPOe and its coalition partner since 2008, the centre-right People’s Party (OeVP), have dominated Austrian politics since World War II but their support has been sliding in recent years. At the last general election, in 2013, they only just scratched together a majority, and polls suggest doing so again at the next scheduled vote in 2018 will be difficult.

Mirroring similar trends across Europe, the two main parties have been bleeding support to fringe groups, in Austria’s case in particular to the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), the former party of the controversial, late Joerg Haider. The far-right has tapped into growing unease about immigration after Austria last year saw 90,000 people claim asylum, and around 10 times that number pass through at the high point of Europe’s migrant crisis.

But the two parties have also presided over a rise in unemployment, with Austria losing its crown as the EU member with the lowest unemployment. The coalition has also squabbled over structural reforms. The FPOe is leading national opinion polls and on April 24, in the first round of elections to the largely ceremonial post of president, the FPOe’s Norbert Hofer came a clear first with 35 percent.