The victory of the Free Party of Austria (FPÖ), which is often described as right-wing populist to far-right, is indicated by the first estimates of the results of Sunday’s Austrian parliamentary elections. It would be the first ever victory of this party in the elections to the National Council, the lower house of the Austrian parliament.
The last of the nearly 10,000 polling stations closed at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Soon after, the media, in cooperation with public opinion research institutes, published the first estimates of the election results, and they all agree on the victory of the FPÖ.
According to a survey offered by APA and ORF television, the FPÖ won 29.1 percent of the vote. The Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) of Chancellor Karel Nehammer came in second according to this survey created in cooperation with the company Foresight, with a gain of 26.2 percent. Third in the same estimate is the opposition Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) with 20.4 percent.
A close fight is looming between the remaining two parliamentary parties. The NEOS poll gives 8.8 percent to the liberals and 8.6 percent to the Greens.
The victory of the FPÖ led by ex-Minister of the Interior Herbert Kickl was also published by other media and institutes, for example the Arge Institute for Puls 24 television.
Citizens determined the composition of the National Council, the lower house of parliament, for the next five years. In Austria, roughly 6.35 million eligible voters were able to choose the members of the National Council from this morning.
Pre-election polls already pointed to the possible unprecedented success of the extreme right. The current chancellor Nehammer of the ÖVP announced that the People’s Party would be willing to enter a coalition with the FPÖ on the condition that their leader Herbert Kickl would not claim the post of chancellor.
Kickl is a polarizing figure with right-wing populist political views. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen has already stated that he would not appoint Kickl as Federal Chancellor, which the Austrian constitution allows him to do.
