In an election held on Sunday in Austria the right-wing Freedom Party (FPO) emerged as the single-biggest party in the country.
It won nearly 30% of the vote, an increase of 13 percentage points from the last election.
The governing Austrian People’s Party (OVP) won just over a quarter of the vote, compared to the 37.5% it won in the previous election, held in 2019. Its coalition, partner, the Greens, had a more significant drop, with it dropping to 8%, from the 14% it had won previously.
The Social Democrats (SPO) were the third-biggest party with 21%, while the New Austria and Liberal Forum (NEOS) were fourth with 9%, a slight increase on its previous result.
No other party won the 4% necessary to secure representation in the Austrian legislature.
The FPO has served in governing coalitions before, but this is the first time it has come first in an Austrian election.
The result in Austria reflects a trend across much of Europe where parties on the right, which are often anti-immigration, have done well. However, it remains to be seen whether the FPO will be able to form a government, with only the OVP saying it would be willing to work with it.
Herbert Kickl, the FPO leader, told supporters in Vienna, the Austrian capital: “We have written a piece of history together today. We have opened a door to a new era.”