Far-Right Party Down in Regional Vote

Joerg Haider’s far-right Freedom Party suffered a stunning setback in regional elections, raising questions about the future of a movement whose rise to national prominence this year sent shock waves across Europe. In regional elections in the southeastern state of Styria, the Freedom Party won only 12.4% of the vote--down 4.7 percentage points from its total in the last regional balloting five years ago. The vote total also was less than half of the 27% that the Freedom Party won in national elections in October 1999. The party finished second in the 1999 contest and entered the national coalition government in February.