Austrian voters handed a first ever general election victory to the far-right Freedom Party on Sunday, vote projections showed, illustrating rising support for hard-right parties in Europe fueled by concern over immigration levels.
The Eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO held a slim lead in opinion polls for months over Chancellor Karl Nehammer's ruling conservative Austrian People's Party (OVP) in a campaign dominated by immigration and worries about the economy.
Led by the 55-year-old Herbert Kickl, the FPO was projected to secure 29.1 percent of the vote, ahead of the OVP on 26.2 percent and the centre-left Social Democrats on 20.4 percent, a projection by pollster Foresight for broadcaster ORF showed after polls closed.
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