The elections are open as the right-wing extremists expect a historic victory – DW – 09/29/2024

Polls were held in Austria on Sunday for a parliamentary election in which the far-right could win a narrow but historic victory over the ruling conservatives.

Voting began at 7 a.m. local time (05:00 GMT). Over 6.3 million of Austria’s 9 million inhabitants were eligible to vote.

Immigration concerns and an economic downturn have dominated the electoral landscape in the Alpine EU country.

The growing popularity of the FPÖ

The right-wing extremist Freedom Party (FPÖ) has been in government several times, but has never been able to come out on top in a nationwide vote.

This time, however, that could change, as pre-election polls show that the anti-immigrant party could win the largest share of the vote, with 27% support.

Former Interior Minister Herbert Kickl has led the FPÖ since 2021.

Under his aggressive leadership, the party – which was hit by a massive bribery scandal in 2019 –

It has seen a resurgence in popularity due to voter anger and concerns over COVID restrictions, migration, inflation and the Ukraine war.

How did the other parties perform in surveys?

According to polls, the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), led by Chancellor Karl Nehammer, is in second place with 25%.

The center-left Social Democrats (SPÖ) were polling at around 21%.

An increase of 9% is forecast for the Greens, who currently form a government coalition with the Conservatives.

However, analysts say even if the FPÖ wins the most votes, it likely won’t have enough seats or partners to form a government.

The far-right party and the conservatives have not ruled out working together, but Nehammer has reiterated his refusal to work together under Kickl.

A three-way coalition between conservatives, social democrats and the liberal NEOS could also be a possibility.

The last polling stations are scheduled to close at 7 p.m. local time. Projections based on postal voting and vote counts from stations that close earlier should be announced promptly.

dvv/nm (AFP, dpa)