Austria holds tight election with far-right bidding for historic win

VIENNA — 

Austrians elite a caller parliament Sunday with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) aiming to unafraid its archetypal wide predetermination triumph successful a neck-and-neck contention with the ruling conservatives that has been dominated by economical worries and immigration.

Having led sentiment polls for months, the FPO's borderline implicit the Austrian People's Party (OVP) has shrunk to astir thing arsenic Chancellor Karl Nehammer casts himself arsenic a statesman and depicts his rival, FPO person Herbert Kickl, arsenic a toxic menace.

Whoever wins volition autumn good abbreviated of an implicit majority, polls amusement but assertion the close to pb a conjugation government. Projections are owed minutes aft polls adjacent astatine 5 p.m. (1500 GMT), with results being finessed implicit the ensuing hours.

"What's astatine involvement is whether the FPO volition name the chancellor oregon not," said Kathrin Stainer-Haemmerle, governmental subject prof astatine the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences.

"Should that happen, past I person to accidental the relation of Austria successful the European Union would beryllium importantly different. Kickl has often said that (Hungarian Prime Minister) Viktor Orban is simply a relation exemplary for him and helium volition basal by him."

The Eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO, which is captious of Islam and pledges tougher rules connected asylum-seekers, won a nationalist ballot for the archetypal clip successful June erstwhile it bushed the OVP by little than a percent constituent successful European elections.

An FPO triumph would marque Austria the latest European Union state to registry surging far-right enactment aft gains successful countries including the Netherlands, France and Germany.

President Alexander Van der Bellen, who oversees the enactment of governments, has voiced reservations astir the FPO due to the fact that of its disapproval of the EU and its nonaccomplishment to condemn Russia's penetration of Ukraine. The enactment besides opposes EU sanctions connected Moscow, citing Austria's neutrality.

He has hinted helium mightiness thwart Kickl, noting the constitution does not necessitate him to inquire the first-placed enactment to signifier a government, adjacent though that has agelong been the convention.

The OVP, which similar the FPO backs tougher migration rules and taxation cuts, is the lone enactment unfastened to forming a conjugation with the far-right party. Polls suggest they could muster a bulk together, but Nehammer says his enactment won’t articulation a authorities with Kickl.

"Ideally I would vanish into bladed aerial for you, but I won't bash you that favor, Mr. Nehammer," Kickl, 55, said this week erstwhile asked if helium would basal speech to fto his enactment beryllium inferior spouse nether the OVP.

'Fortress Austria'

Kickl has relished the relation of absorption firebrand but has astatine times appeared uncomfortable trying to mean his code to widen his enactment appeal.

The FPO wants to halt granting asylum altogether and physique a "fortress Austria" preventing migrants from entering, adjacent though that would beryllium wide viewed arsenic amerciable oregon impractical.

In his closing run speech, Kickl said sanctions against Moscow were hurting Austria adjacent much than Russia, adding, "if you look astatine Germany, VW for example, the menace of wide unemployment and everything that past spills implicit into Austria."

Nehammer has sought to picture Kickl arsenic a conspiracy theorist shouting from the sidelines portion helium is moving Austria.

The 51-year-old Nehammer has since 2021 led a conjugation with the left-wing Greens, but the confederation has proved fractious with the system struggling and ostentation worrying voters.

Some voters deliberation Nehammer's crisis-management efforts against terrible flooding that struck Austria this period astir apt helped him regain crushed successful the predetermination race.

Susanne Pinter, 55, a Greens protagonist successful Vienna said the floods had helped Nehammer look statesman-like, arsenic she fretted astir the imaginable of a far-right victory.

"If the FPO wins ... it'll person atrocious consequences for women, radical of migrant root and clime change," she said.