It had been expected for months – the party had been leading the polls since 2022. Nor was it exactly a crushing victory: far from an absolute majority, and just two points more than its previous highest score. It may not even end up in government.
But the first place finish in Austria’s parliamentary elections by the far-right, anti-immigration, Russia-friendly Eurosceptic Freedom party (FPÖ) nonetheless marks another significant step in the radical right’s onward march across Europe.
