Kurz looks set to become Chancellor with his center-right People’s Party projected to take roughly 30.2 percent of the vote, the best result in almost two decades according to exit polls by Austrian broadcaster ORF.
The anti-immigrant, nationalist Freedom Party appears to be leading in the polls with the Social Democrats in second place with 26.8 percent of the vote: the two parties are expected to form a coalition government.
Incumbent Chancellor Christian’s Social Democrats (SPÖ) is in third place with 26.3 percent.
If confirmed out by final results, that would be its strongest performance for the Freedom Party since the 26.9 percent it won in 1999 when the party was led by the charismatic Jorg Haider. Haider was killed in a car accident only two weeks after staging a comeback in national elections.
His car veered off the road near the southern city of Klagenfurt and overturned while trying to overtake another vehicle, according to police officials. Many have suspected foul play.
In 1999, Haider had received 27 pecent of the vote in national elections as leader of the Freedom party. The party’s subsequent inclusion in the government had led to months of European Union sanctions.
Chancellor Christian Kern’s Social Democrats are looking at a devastating defeat, sliding to third place, which will influence the market’s reaction.
Europe’s anti-establishment, anti-immigrant revolt, considered to have been dead and buried following the French elections, was not only revived after last month’s German election, but is thriving in Austria.
Kurz, nicknamed “wunderwuzzi”, is expected to form a coalition with the Freedom Party (FPÖ) of Heinz-Christian Strache. In December, the FPÖ almost won the presidency in the midst of Europe’s migrant crisis.
In Germany, the Alternative for Germany, last month became the third-largest party in the Bundestag, and France’s National Front won seats in the National Assembly.