Herbert Kickl gave an extensive interview to Austria's public television.

If a right-wing shift takes place in Austria in the forthcoming national elections, Herbert Kickl would like to become chancellor, and would certainly not introduce new taxes, the leader of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) said in the interview. He stressed that all the current economic misery, not just inflation, is „home-grown”, that is, generated by the current government.

Kickl compared Austria’s economy to a patient in the intensive care unit. He pointed out that the economy must not be harmed any further and that every effort must be exerted to keep businesses in the country and help them become competitive again.

„We must turn pessimism into optimism, because what this government has done is causing entrepreneurs to leave the country,”

he said. The money for this – around 17 billion euros per year – must be secured with a step-by-step plan, Kickl pointed out.

A law banning political Islam, which the FPO has repeatedly called for, would be much more effective than general online surveillance of citizens, the FPO chief said, commenting on the security situation. It would help to take action not just against someone caught building a bomb, but against anyone who pledges allegiance to an Islamist terrorist organisation, he explained.

For more than a yer, the FPO has been in the lead in public opinion polls, but elections cannot be won with polls, the FPO chairman noted.

„Such surveys often serve as a tool for manipulation, and some supporters will not go to vote because they think that te outcome is certain anyway. I don’t pay much attention to polls, I much prefer direct contact with people to see and hear how people really feel,”

Herbert Kickl said.