This is IMO a browser bug. Browsers should allow users to choose "always open in new tabs" or "always open in the same tab" as a default, with modifier + click

This is IMO a browser bug. Browsers should allow users to choose "always open in new tabs" or "always open in the same tab" as a default, with modifier + click performing the opposite action, in a way that websites can’t override. The underlying issue is that tabs were bolted onto existing browsers at some point, and no mainstream browser was designed from the ground up with tabs in mind. As a result, the details of many previously existing features which interact with tabs were never revisited.