Heinz-Christian Strache, the head of the far-right Freedom party, has become Austria’s man of the moment following September’s general elections. A dental technician by training, his garrulous, populist style has struck a chord with much of the electorate.
On election day, the Freedom party won almost 18 per cent of the vote. More tellingly, it scored highly among young electors enfranchised for the first time after the voting age was lowered to 16. Among 16 to 19-year olds, the Freedom party gained more than 44 per cent, and among those below 30 more than 33 per cent.
