Proponents of liberal democracy may be forgiven a measure of glee in the fall of Austria’s far-right vice chancellor, which has thrown the government of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz into chaos and forced early elections. Der Spiegel, one of two German publications that obtained the video and reported its content, said it was a setup. Whatever the back story, the video is a devastating insight into the far right, its tactics and its curious enchantment with Russia. Mr. Strache tries to persuade the woman to buy discreetly into Austria’s largest tabloid, Kronen Zeitung, and use it to advance the Freedom Party. “We want to build a media landscape like Orban did,” Mr. Strache says, referring to the way allies of Hungary’s nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban, have bought up Hungarian news outlets.

Source: New York Times May 21, 2019 23:03 UTC