Far-right makes gains in Vienna’s city hall elections

The Freedom party’s share of the vote has risen significantly both in Vienna and nationally in the past decade to more than 20%, while the Social Democrats and the centre-right People’s party have lost ground in elections.

The result means the Social Democrats can continue to govern in coalition. The Freedom Party, which campaigned on keeping undocumented migrants out of the capital, surged to 30.9 percent, their best result ever. They also reflect voter anxiety about the thousands of migrants entering Austria daily as they flee conflict in the Mideast and elsewhere.

Also clearing the 5 percent hurdle needed to gain seats in the Vienna legislature was the liberal NEOS, according to the preliminary results.

“On one hand, there seems to be strong support for the Freedom Party in Austria, including Vienna, but it remains limited and many people who voted for other parties can not imagine voting for the Freedom Party”.

FPO leader Heinz-Christian Strache also said he was satisfied.

Strache expressed hope for his party’s “best showing in history”, saying he hoped to at least match the Socialist showing.

While 67.6% of the electorate voted five years ago, the estimated turnout for the vote stood at 74%, including still to be counted absentee ballots.

With another five-year term for his Socialists a virtual certainty, Vienna Mayor Michael Haeupl said he could “could live well” with the results. The party is yet to win an election outright, however.

The outcome of Vienna’s city election on Sunday is too close to call, a “poll of polls” combining pre-election surveys and exit polling by SORA for Austrian broadcaster ORF said. But “Red Vienna” was a special prize.

The Social Democrats’ performance was one of their worst in Vienna since World War Two, but also a repudiation of their national coalition with the People’s Party, which has been in place under Chancellor Werner Faymann since 2008.