Founding
It was founded on February 4, 1993, when liberals within the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), including five members of the National Council of Austria seceded from the party. The five Nationalrat members were Heide Schmidt, Klara Motter, Friedhelm Frischenschlager, Hans Helmut Moser, and Thomas Barmüller. Heide Schmidt (who was 3rd president of the Nationalrat until 1994) became the party's first chairperson.
The reason for the split within the FPÖ was growing disagreements between the liberal wing and the nationalist camp. Jörg Haider launched a petition-drive against foreign immigrants in Austria (the so-called "Österreich Zuerst Volksbegehren" "Austria First Referendum"). This in turn was unacceptable to Heide Schmidt and her followers. The founders of the new party wanted a liberal party in the classical sense, which the FPÖ had ceased to be since the resignation of Norbert Steger and the rise of Haider.
The Liberal Forum was the first party in the history of the (since 1945) Second Republic to achieve immediate seats in parliament without prior elections. After some initial confusion, the chairs of the house accepted the new formation as an official party, thereby granting access to public financial means of support. The FPÖ left the Liberal International organisation and the Liberal Forum took over that membership in its place. The party managed to gain 11 seats in the 1994 parliamentary elections, and with 5.51% of all votes cast 10 seats in the 1995 elections.
However, following the resignation of Schmidt as chairperson and the elections in 1999, the party's support has plummeted and it failed to gain any seats. In the elections of October 3, 1999 the party obtained 3.65% of all votes and therefore failed to overcome the 4% mandatory threshold in order to enter parliament. In the elections of 2002 it obtained 1% of the vote and got no seats. As a consequence it also lost votes in state elections and is only represented on the communal level. In Vienna the party lost all seats on the district level in the elections of 2005.
According to its founding charter the Liberal Forum propagates political liberalism and advocates a free market economy. Only if the economy and business fare well, are the foundations for social welfare of the people provided. Furthermore the party wants environmental protection and supports world peace.
The LIF decided not to contest the European Parliament election in 2009, focussing on refounding and building up the party instead. The Young Liberals (Junge Liberale, JuLis), the LIF's student and youth organisation, contested the election independently instead.
Read more about this topic: Liberal Forum
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