FPOe leader Heinz-Christian Strache (Right) and Carinthian BZOe chairman Uwe Scheuch (Left)

Strache and Scheuch announced a merger of their parties.

Austrian Federal Party (FPO) leader Heinz-Christian Strache and Carinthian BZO chairman Uwe Scheuch shake hands at a press conference to announce the joining together of the Carinthian BZO and Austrian FPO, in Vienna, Austria on 16 December 2009. The Alliance for the Future of Austria in Carinthia province and the Freedom Party are to cooperate closely in a ‘unification of the third political force,’ Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache said, using a term for far-right parties. The groups plan to campaign jointly for the next elections, scheduled for 2012, and to form a joint fraction in the National Council, Austria’s parliament.

FPO party won 17.54% in 2008 elections and thus became Austria’s third party while BZO won 10.70% and became Austria’s fourth party. On December 16, 2009 the two nationalist parties have merged together to form Austria’s number one political party with 28.2%. In 2008 elections SPO (Leftist-Socialist party) won 29.26% and became Austria’s largest party but considering the fact that SPO scored a significant drop (and still dropping) from Austria’s previous elections, the new formed nationalist party became Austria’s largest party and will most likely defeat SPO in Austria’s next elections.

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