A former defence minister on Wednesday became the first far-right governor of Styria province in Austria, where the far right has made record gains.
The far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) topped national elections in September for the first time ever but has been unable to find partners to form a national government.
But in Styria province, where the FPOe won regional elections last month, they managed to form a government with the conservatives as junior partners.
It is the first time the FPOe heads a state since the late Joerg Haider took the prestigious role in 1989 in neighbouring Carinthia province.
Styria’s parliament approved the new government headed by Mario Kunasek, a 48-year-old army veteran and defence minister from 2017 until 2019, on Wednesday.
Under its programme, the new government plans to ban headscarves and other religious attire from the province’s administration, according to a spokesman.
It also plans to set up a fund to compensate those who were “unjustly” fined for breaking confinement rules during the Covid-19 pandemic or who suffered negative consequences due to vaccinations, he added.
The FPOe last month secured 35 percent of the vote in the southeastern state, up by 17 percentage points on the 2019 results.
The vote marked the first time the far right comes out victorious in the region, which was ruled by left- and right-wing parties to date.
Kunasek’s campaign focused on anti-immigration rhetoric and defending car owners.
The FPOe currently co-governs three more of Austria’s nine provinces.
It has also been part of the national government several times, but has never headed it.
Following its historic victory in September, it has failed to find partners, leaving outgoing conservative chancellor Karl Nehammer in talks with the Social Democrats and a liberal party to form a government in the Alpine EU member of nine million.
Like other far-right parties elsewhere in Europe, the FPOe has seen its popularity surge, fed by voter anger over migration, inflation and Covid restrictions.