dpa
Vienna
The far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) is set to win a parliamentary election for the first time in post-war history, according to an Austrian media projection after polls closed.
The right-wing populist party is set to win 29.1% of the vote, putting it well ahead of the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) of the outgoing coalition government, according to a projection from the Austrian public broadcaster ORF.
The projection, based on data from the Foresight Institute for ORF, puts the ÖVP firmly in second at 26.2%.
An FPÖ victory would be the first time that the party has done so in parliament, and also mark a major comeback after being booted from government during a 2019 scandal.
Immigration has been a central topic of the campaign. The far right intends to crack down on immigration with full force if it takes over government, and also accelerate the deportation of migrants to their home countries.
Germany’s far-right AfD party was among the first to congratulate the FPÖ, with Alternative for Germany leader Alice Weidel offering her congratulations on social media platform X.
In terms of forming a government, the far right and conservatives have not ruled out working together, but Nehammer is insisting that if they form a coalition, it should not involve Kickl.
A further possibility could be a three-way coalition between the conservatives, Social Democrats and NEOS.
The voter turnout in 2019 was around 76%. Pollsters expect a higher turnout this time. One indication of this could be the significant increase in the number of postal voters.
Sunday also looks set to mark the Austrian far right’s biggest victory since the so-called Ibiza affair, which triggered investigations into ÖVP politicians for allegedly falsifying polls and questionable media collaborations.
In a secret video recording taken in Ibiza in 2019, the then FPÖ leader promised a supposed oligarch’s niece future state contracts in exchange for support.
But even if the FPÖ wins, it is questionable whether party leader Kickl will become chancellor. So far, all other parties have refused to co-operate with the party.