Despite criticism from other political parties, Austria’s newly elected parliament president, Walter Rosenkranz of the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Vienna as his first official guest.
The controversial visit took place in the Austrian parliament’s reception room, with the entire leadership of the FPÖ, including leader Herbert Kickl, reportedly in attendance.
After the meeting concluded, Orbán had a separate, private meeting with Kickl. However, nothing was initially revealed about the content of their conversation.Rosenkranz said the meeting had been arranged before he took office.Other Austrian parties, including the Greens and Social Democrats, had pushed back against Orbán’s visit.
Green party parliamentary leader Sigrid Maurer said the FPÖ view Orbán as a role model, which should be considered "an absolute warning signal.” FPÖ finished first in the recent Austrian parliamentary elections, garnering 29.2% of the vote in the country's first far-right election win since World War II. Experts say the party managed to tap into Austrian anxiety on housing and healthcare, as well as often successfully blaming migration for a host of other issues.