Austrian voters gave the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) its first-ever win in a general election on Sunday, according to vote projections. This reflects growing support for hard-right parties in Europe, driven by concerns about immigration.

Throughout months of a campaign centred on immigration and economic concerns, the Euroskeptic, Russia-friendly FPO narrowly defeated Chancellor Karl Nehammer's ruling conservative Austrian People's Party (OVP) in opinion polls. After polls closed, pollster Foresight for broadcaster ORF projected that the FPO, led by Herbert Kickl, would receive 29.1% of the vote, ahead of the OVP (26.2%) and the centre-left Social Democrats (20.4%).

The FPO was predicted by pollster Arge Wahlen to win by about 4 percentage points in a different poll. Even though they won't have a clear majority, they will be able to lead a coalition. Should Kickl's victory be verified, it might be short-lived because the 55-year-old is a divisive figure that other party leaders have declined to work with. Thus far, he has not indicated that he would resign in order to guarantee his party's leadership of the government. Professor of political science at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences Kathrin Stainer-Haemmerle stated, "What's at stake is whether the FPO will appoint the chancellor or not."

"Should that happen, then I have to say the role of Austria in the European Union would be significantly different. Kickl has often stated that (Hungarian Prime Minister) Viktor Orban is a role model for him and he will stand by him." Austria would become the latest EU nation to record a rise in far-right support in the event of an FPO victory, following victories in the Netherlands, France, and Germany. The anti-Islamic FPO, which promises stricter regulations for asylum seekers, garnered support nationally for the first time in June when it defeated the OVP in elections for the European Parliament.

As with the FPO, the only party amenable to forming an alliance with the far-right is the OVP, which supports tax cuts and stricter immigration laws. Nonetheless, Nehammer asserts that his party will not enter a coalition led by Kickl. Prior to the vote, Sarah Wolf, a 22-year-old Vienna resident and supporter of the Austrian Communist Party, expressed concern about the potential consequences of an FPO victory.

"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 remarked. "There are just so many really dangerous signs." The FPO, according to 17-year-old soldier Viktor de Lijzer, is best suited to address what he perceives to be an excessive amount of criminal violence brought on by immigration.