The Austrian far-right politician, Mr Jorg Haider, said yesterday he was confident of becoming governor of the southern state of Carinthia following his Freedom Party's election victory there on Sunday. And he said he would be ready to mount a challenge for Austria's chancellorship within a few years.
The Freedom Party won 42 per cent of the votes in Carinthia, supplanting the Social Democrats of the Chancellor, Mr Viktor Klima, as the largest party in the state. The two parties are now vying for the support of the conservative People's Party, which shares power with Mr Klima in Vienna.
"I'm prepared to take the governorship of the region of Carinthia because I am elected by the people. Our movement makes good policy for one region of Austria. On this basis, I think it's possible several years later to run for the country," Mr Haider said.
Sunday's election result represents a dramatic political comeback for Mr Haider, whose Freedom Party became enmeshed last year in a succession of financial scandals and internal splits. Although Mr Haider served as Carinthia's governor between 1989 and 1991, the Freedom Party has never before been the dominant political force in any Austrian state.
Sunday's success owed much to Mr Haider's campaign against EU plans to reform farm subsidies and to his promise to increase child benefits. Politicians from the other parties insist that his promise cannot be financed but the child benefit plan clearly appealed to voters, especially women.
