The Austrians are electing a new parliament today, BTA reported.
The far-right Austrian Freedom Party (APF) could win a parliamentary election for the first time and achieve a historic success if it prevails in a contested race with the ruling conservatives, marked by issues such as the economy and immigration, the agencies said.
In recent months, the APS has consistently led the polls, but the formation's lead over the Austrian People's Party (ANP) has gradually almost completely melted away. Chancellor Karl Nehammer chose to bet on a strategy of presenting himself as a statesman and his opponent, APS leader Herbert Kickle, as a toxic threat.
Whoever wins will not get an outright majority, according to research, but will be able to lead a coalition government.
The first exit polls are expected to come out minutes after the election day ends at 17:00, and the results will be updated in the following hours.
"The stake is whether the APS will broadcast the chancellor or not," said Kathryn Steiner-Hemmerle, a professor of political science at the Carinthian University of Applied Sciences. "If this happens, I must say that the role of Austria in the EU will change significantly. Kikl often points to (Hungarian Prime Minister) Viktor Orbán as an example, and he (Kikl - note ed.) will line up next to him."
The eurosceptic, pro-Russia APS, which is critical of Islam and promises tougher rules on asylum seekers, won a national vote for the first time in June when it defeated the ANP by less than 1 percentage point in European elections.< /p>
A victory for the APS would make Austria the next EU country to report a wave of support for the far-right, after it happened in the Netherlands, France and Germany, Reuters notes.
President Alexander van der Bellen, who leads the process of forming governments, expressed his reservations about the APS because of the party's criticism of the EU and its non-condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The party is also against European sanctions against Moscow, justifying its position with the traditional neutrality that Austria follows in its foreign policy.
He hinted that he could prevent Kickle from taking power, noting that he is not constitutionally required to hand over the mandate to form a cabinet to the party that is the first political force - although that has been the usual practice over the years .
The ANP, which, like the APS, is in favor of stricter immigration rules and tax cuts, is the only party ready to form a coalition with the far-right formation. According to the polls, the two political forces together can have a majority, but Nehamer announced that his party will not enter a government if Kickel is also in it.
"It would probably be best to evaporate into thin air, but I won't do you that favor, Mr. Nehammer," Kickel, 55, said earlier this week when asked to comment on whether he would compromise and back down. a step back so that his party can govern alongside the ANP as a junior coalition partner to the Conservatives.