It appears that the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) is set to become the largest party in the EU election in Austria, according to domestic media.
With a significant share of the votes counted, FPÖ – which has long topped the opinion polls in the country – according to public service broadcaster ORF, has 25.5 per cent, compared to 24.7 per cent for the conservative government party ÖVP and 23.3 per cent for the social democratic SPÖ. Behind them, the Greens and liberal Neos are getting around 10 per cent each.
The figures are roughly in line with the opinion polls conducted – but with a slightly better result for ÖVP and the Greens compared to what was expected beforehand. The exact final result will not be clear until Monday morning, according to ORF.
For FPÖ – which sat in Austria's government with ÖVP from 2017-19 – the election victory is historic: the party has never been the largest in an EU election before.
The party's top candidate Harald Vilimsky, however, sees the result only as a stage victory on the way to the party's real goals.
