The Alliance for the Future of Austria (German: Bündnis Zukunft Österreich), abbreviated to BZÖ, is a political party in Austria. The party has sixteen seats in the National Council.
The BZÖ was founded on 3 April 2005 by Jörg Haider as a moderate splinter from the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and immediately took the FPÖ's place in coalition with the Austrian People's Party. The party won seven seats at the 2006 election, ending its involvement in government. The September 2008 election saw the BZÖ breakthrough with 21 seats, while the FPÖ's vote also increased. 13 days after the election, Haider died in a car crash; in April 2009, Josef Bucher became leader. Under Bucher's leadership, the party moved towards economic liberalism, leading to the secession of the party's Carinthia branch in December 2009.
The party under Bucher is economically liberal and socially conservative. The party aims to take ground from the ÖVP by defending the middle class and free markets: supporting a flat tax (currently a model with 39% which exists as calculator tool on the party's website), privatisation of utilities, and large reductions in both bureaucracy and the government debt. The party takes a more moderate position than the FPÖ on immigration – proposing the introduction of a 'Green card' – and is eurosceptic. Unlike the FPÖ, the BZÖ is notably Atlanticist: advocating abolishing conscription, ending neutrality, and joining NATO.
Read more about Alliance For The Future Of Austria: Political Support, Organisation
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