The Austrian People's Party: an anti-immigrant right party?

This article looks at the immigration profile of the Austrian centre right. It examines whether the Austrian People's Party (oVP) can be considered an anti-immigrant party by systematically analysing the party's electoral manifestos from 1994 to 2019. From previously more ambiguous positions, the article identifies an amplification of restrictive positions after 2017. In the electoral manifestos of 2017 and 2019, immigration plays a key role, with a strong focus on Muslim immigrants and their descendants as a 'cultural other'. A major driver of the explicit anti-immigration profile was the restructuring of the oVP into a leadership party, which effectively side-lined concentrated interest groups. The article concludes that the party can be classified today as anti-immigrant actor, able to attract anti-immigrant votes.

Automated summary

This article examines the immigration profile of the Austrian centre right, particularly focusing on the Austrian People's Party (oVP) and its stance on immigration from 1994 to 2019. It finds that after 2017, the party has taken a more explicit anti-immigration stance, with a strong emphasis on Muslim immigrants and their descendants as a 'cultural other'. The article concludes that the oVP can now be classified as an anti-immigrant actor capable of attracting anti-immigrant votes.