Austria’s far-right Freedom Party looks set to take first place in parliamentary elections | World News

Initial projections show that the far-right Freedom Party came first in the Austrian parliamentary elections.

Led by Herbert Kickl, a former interior minister who was fired The country’s Ibiza scandalAccording to election researchers Arge Elections from PULS 24 TV, the party is expected to take first place with 29.1% of the vote.

They are expected to finish ahead of the ruling Conservatives with 26.2%. The center-left Social Democrats were in third place with 20.4%.

The far-right group is expected to be in the best position to form a coalition for the first time since World War II. However, it is unclear whether she can find a partner.

“The other parties should ask themselves where they stand on democracy,” said Kickl on Sunday and advocated “sleeping on the result.”

The party has capitalized on fears surrounding, among other things, immigration, inflation and the war Ukraine and its strong performance follows recent gains by the far right in other parts of Europe.

Mr. Kickl, who wants to become Austria’s new chancellor, has drawn criticism for his use of the term “Volkskanzler” or “People’s Chancellor,” which the Nazis used to describe Adolf Hitler in the 1930s. He rejected the comparison.

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up to date with the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

Rivals have said they will not work with Mr Kickl, whose party calls for the “repatriation of uninvited foreigners” and the suspension of asylum rights to create a “Fortress Austria”.

To become the country’s new leader, he needed a coalition partner with whom he could achieve a majority in the lower house of parliament.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, who is overseeing the formation of the government, called on political parties to hold talks with each other.

“Now it’s about approaching each other, talking to each other, negotiating in order to find good, workable compromises. Finding these solutions can take time, and that time, ladies and gentlemen, is time well spent.”

Read more from Sky News:
At least 129 people die in floods in Nepal
Beirut “like a horror film”

The Freedom Party criticized Western military aid to Ukraine and called for an end to sanctions against it Russia.

In his final campaign speech on Saturday, Mr Kickl claimed that the sanctions against Moscow over the war were painful Austria even more than Russia.

The party also calls for a welfare system where benefits are linked to citizenship, an increase in police numbers, a ban on “political Islam”, a dual-gender constitutional provision and more referendums to allow voters to vote out cabinet ministers.