Austria’s far-right party, which has taken a tough line on immigration, is projected to secure its first victory in a national parliamentary election. But the party is unlikely to gain a majority of the votes, and the focus is now on how coalition talks will unfold.
The public broadcaster in Austria has announced projected results from Sunday’s election to choose members of the lower house of parliament.
It says that as of shortly after 10 p.m. local time, the opposition Freedom Party, or FPO, was projected to gain 28.8 percent of the vote. It was ahead of the center-right ruling Austrian People’s Party, or OVP, which had 26.3 percent.
The Freedom Party, founded by a former Nazi member in the 1950s, advocates policies against immigrants and refugees. The party is also viewed as pro-Russia as it opposes support for Ukraine.
The FPO is also believed to be Eurosceptic as it has been critical of the European Union’s immigration policies.
It is uncertain whether the FPO can form a government as other parties are rejecting an alliance with the far-right party to form a coalition.
The advance of the FPO comes at a time when far-right and right-wing political parties are calling for restrictions on immigration and are gaining ground in major elections in Germany, France and the Netherlands.