Far-right could take power in Austria for the first time since WWII: Voters head to the polls

Voters in Austria are heading to the polls this Sunday (September 29) for general elections. If polling companies accurately predict the results, the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) will be the party with the highest number of votes.

Citizens will be able to cast their votes until 5:00 PM to determine the 183 new members of parliament.

In Austria, which has a population of approximately 9 million, there are 6.4 million voters aged 16 and over, with 9 parties and 3 political groups competing in the election.

Freedom Party of Austria Chairman Herbert Kickl (pictured), had previously used terms such as 'senile' and 'mummy' to refer to President Alexander Van der Bellen

WHAT DO THE POLLS PREDICT?

According to the latest polls in the country, where the election threshold is 4 percent, the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) is expected to receive 27 percent of the vote, the senior coalition partner center-right Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) 25 percent, the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) 21 percent, and the junior coalition partner The Greens and the liberal New Austria Party (NEOS) 9 percent each.

If the FPÖ wins, it will be the first time since the Second World War that a far-right party has finished a general election in first place.

News Source: AA