Far-Right Freedom Party Wins Historic Support in Austria

Austria’s far-right Freedom Party came in first in the general election Sunday, preliminary results showed, with a highest-ever showing amid growing anxiety about migration.

The party, which has been facing criticism over corruption scandals and using anti-Islam and anti-immigrant rhetoric, won over 29% of the vote, according to projections. The result topped its previous high of nearly 27% in 1999.

But the party is unlikely to form a government because its rivals have refused to enter a coalition with it. The center-left Social Democrats and the center-right People’s Party, which have ruled Austria for most of its contemporary history, had their worst showing since World War II.

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Despite the poor showing by the Freedom Party’s rivals, the Social Democrats and People’s Party are now likely to form a government led by the conservatives and possibly supported by a pro-business, classic liberal party known as Neos. {snip}

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