Political parties on the European right were celebrating on Monday after Austria's Freedom Party (FPO) won the county’s general election.
Led by Herbert Kickl, who capitalised on a misfiring economy and concerns that Austria has taken in people faster than it can integrate them, the FPO won around 29 per cent of the vote - a record result that may give it a platform to lead the next government.
Mr Kickl must find a partner to form a stable coalition and he is loathed by other party leaders, who have refused to serve under him and quickly began discussing the possibility of sounding out alternatives to an FPO-led government.
But there were warm words from allies in Europe, where the FPO forms part of a right-wing group inside the European Parliament led by France's far-right National Rally (RN).
Its leader Marine Le Pen expressed delight at the victory and said it showed those parties were advancing.
"After the Italian, Dutch and French elections, this tidal wave which supports the defence of national interests, the safeguarding of identities and the resurrection of sovereignties, confirms the triumph of the people everywhere," Ms Le Pen wrote in a post on X.
Bjoern Hoecke, one of the leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), called the FPO's win a "sensation" and said on X: "The FPO victory isn't just a victory for Austria - it extends far beyond the borders of the Alpine republic and is a good sign of progress for Europe."
The win by the Eurosceptic FPO could sow division within the European Union over foreign policy areas such as support for Ukraine against Moscow's invasion of the country.
Mr Kickl opposes providing aid to Ukraine and wants sanctions against Russia withdrawn, arguing they are hurting Austria more than Moscow.
FPO staff and activists at a party event in Vienna cheered in jubilation when election projections predicting an FPO victory were announced.
Mr Kickl's victory may prove pyrrhic, as he is a polarising figure under whom other party leaders have refused to serve.
In a televised discussion with the FPO leader after projections came in, Chancellor Karl Nehammer, whose conservative People's Party (OVP) finished second, reiterated his opposition to forming a government with Mr Kickl.
Stressing his party had won, Mr Kickl said he was ready to talk with all parties over forming a coalition.
Victory for the FPO, which is critical of Islam and pledges tougher rules on asylum seekers, follows far-right gains in countries including the Netherlands, France and Germany.
Sarah Wolf, a 22-year-old graphic designer and Austrian Communist Party supporter in Vienna, said ahead of the vote she was worried what an FPO victory would mean.
"What most scares me if the FPO really does get the most votes is we get something like Viktor Orban: a slow, gradual reduction in media diversity, democracy and understanding," she said. "There are just so many really dangerous signs."
Viktor de Lijzer, a 17-year-old soldier who supports the FPO, said the party was best placed to fix what he saw as too much criminal violence spurred by immigration.
President Alexander Van der Bellen, who oversees the formation of governments, has voiced reservations about the FPO because of its criticism of the EU and its failure to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The party opposes EU sanctions on Moscow, citing Austria's neutrality.
He has hinted he might thwart Mr Kickl, saying the constitution does not require him to ask the first-placed party to form a government, even though that has long been the convention.
The FPO, which wants to stop granting asylum altogether and build a "fortress Austria" preventing migrants from entering, was initially led by a former Nazi lawmaker in the 1950s.
It has sought to moderate its image, but new controversy about its past surfaced at the weekend, when a video published by newspaper Der Standard showed members of the party attending a funeral where a song popular with the Nazi SS was sung.
