The anti-asylum, pro-Kremlin FPÖ is leading the polls amid growing frustration over the political status quo
Fear, uncertainty and suspicion are running high in Klagenfurt, southern Austria, before Sunday’s high-stakes parliamentary election, in which the far-right Freedom party (FPÖ) could become the strongest force in the country for the first time in the postwar period.
For at least a week, and some local people say much longer, the tap water in this city of baroque facades and a stunning Alpine lake has been contaminated with faecal bacteria and unsafe to drink. No one – not the government or environmental officials – has managed to ascertain the cause although baseless theories involving poisoned wells, migrants and other scapegoats run wild in pubs and the darker corners of the internet. Nor is a solution in sight. “Plan C”, as the public works chief, Erwin Smole, has described flushing pipes with diluted chlorine, is still being considered after other measures failed.
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Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/28/people-have-a-right-to-clean-water-austrias-far-right-rides-wave-of-public-anger-as-election-nears
Author : Deborah Cole in Klagenfurt
Publish date : 2024-09-28 04:00:04
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