Austrian voters head to polls to elect new government
Over 6M eligible voters set to elect 183 new members of parliament
VIENNA
Voters in Austria are casting their ballots on Sunday to elect the country’s new government.
Polls are open until 5:00 p.m. local time (0300GMT), with 6.4 million eligible voters in a population of nine million set to choose 183 new members of parliament.
Nine parties and three political formations are competing, with a 4% electoral threshold.
Recent polls suggest the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) is leading with 27%, followed by the center-right Austrian People's Party (OVP) at 25%, and the Social Democratic Party (SPO) at 21%.
The Green Party and the liberal NEOS are expected to secure 9% each.
If the FPO wins, it will be the first time that a far-right party secured the top position in Austria’s national elections since World War II.
