Far right got most votes in Austria’s election, first projections show
The far right got the most votes in today’s election, according to first projections.
Far-right Freedom party (FPÖ): 29.1%
Centre-right Austrian People’s party (ÖVP): 26.2%
Social Democratic party (SPÖ): 20.4%
NEOS-New Austria: 8.8%
Greens: 8.6%
Key events
Summary of the day
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Preliminary results from Austria’s general election showed the far-right Freedom party (FPÖ) winning the most votes for the first time in the postwar period.
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The party rode a tide of public anger over migration and the cost of living, and was projected to win 29% of the vote.
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The centre-right Austrian People’s party (ÖVP) was projected to come in second place with 26.3%, while the Social Democratic party (SPÖ) was at 21%.
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Because it failed to win an absolute majority, the FPÖ will need a partner to govern.
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The ÖVP’s Karl Nehammer, Austria’s chancellor, has said that the FPÖ’s Herbert Kickl as chancellor would be a non-starter, setting up a potential showdown in which the FPÖ would have to either jettison Kickl or take a back seat in government to win the ÖVP’s support.
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Far-right parties across Europe congratulated the FPÖ on its projected result.
Karl Nehammer said his party will stand by what it has promised before the election.
Wir haben gemeinsam gekämpft! Für Stabilität und die politische Mitte im Land. Die Volkspartei ist stärker, als viele es für möglich gehalten haben. Selbstverständlich stehen wir auch nach Wahl zu dem, was wir unseren Wählerinnen und Wählern davor versprochen haben. pic.twitter.com/6IjFYvq35g
— Karl Nehammer (@karlnehammer) September 29, 2024
Here are the updated projections from ORF:
The Social Democrats’ Andreas Babler has said that now it’s about negotiations and he is ruling out a coalition with the FPÖ.
Christian Stocker, the centre-right ÖVP’s general secretary, has said the party is united behind Karl Nehammer.
He also said the party does not want to enter a coalition with Herbert Kickl.
Die Funktionäre sind in den letzten Tagen und Wochen für unseren Bundesparteiobmann @karlnehammer gelaufen. Ich bedanke mich herzlich für das Vertrauen, das die Wählerinnen und Wähler uns geschenkt haben. Die Volkspartei steht einig und geschlossen hinter unserem… pic.twitter.com/C8VBwvwvHa
— Christian Stocker (@_CStocker) September 29, 2024
Deborah Cole
Because it failed to win an absolute majority, the far-right Freedom party (FPÖ) will need a partner to govern.
Unlike the other centrist parties, the centre-right People’s party (ÖVP) has not ruled out cooperating with the far right in the next government, as it has twice in the past in taboo-breaking alliances at the national level.
The Austrian chancellor, ÖVP’s Karl Nehammer, however, has said that FPÖ lead candidate Herbert Kickl, a former hardline interior minister, as chancellor would be a non-starter, setting up a potential showdown in which the FPÖ would have to either jettison Kickl or take a back seat in government to win the ÖVP’s support.
Kickl, a bespectacled marathon runner, was a protege of Jörg Haider. The former firebrand FPÖ leader and Carinthia state premier, who died in 2008 in a drink-driving crash, transformed the party founded by ex-Nazi functionaries and SS officers into the nationalist, anti-Islam outfit it is today.
The far-right Freedom party’s Herbert Kickl has said he is ready for talks with everyone.
Andreas Babler, leader of the Social Democratic party, has said that he is prepared to enter into exploratory talks with the centre-right Austrian People’s party (ÖVP), ORF reported.
Karl Nehammer, Austria’s chancellor, has said that he wants to stay on as leader of the Austrian People’s party.
And here are the latest ORF projections.
Freedom party members celebrated early projections today.
Deborah Cole
Preliminary results showed Austria’s far-right Freedom party (FPÖ) winning the most votes in a general election for the first time in the postwar period as it rode a tide of public anger over migration and the cost of living.
“Austrians made history tonight,” FPÖ general secretary Michael Schnedlitz told public broadcaster ORF at his party’s election night celebration. “You can clearly see that change has come.”
The ÖVP tried to put a brave face on the result, which will send shockwaves through Europe. “We didn’t manage to get first place, but we made up a lot of lost ground in recent weeks,” its general secretary, Christian Stocker, said. “Governing means confronting tough realities and we’ve done that in the last years.”
And here are updated projections, from ORF.
A member of the European parliament from Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party has also congratulated Austria’s far-right Freedom party.
Far-right figures from Spain and Belgium have welcomed the projected results in Austria.
Far-right Freedom party at 29%: updated projection
Here is an updated projection from ORF.
The far-right Freedom party is at 29%.
Alice Weidel of the German far-right party Alternative für Deutschland has congratulated the Freedom party.
The far-right Freedom party is celebrating the first projections, which show the party got the most votes in today’s election in Austria.
Here are the latest images from Vienna.