15.10.2017 | Austria election results: Eurosceptics poised to celebrate in nightmare for Brussels
Source - The Daily Express
The People’s Party (OVP) got 31 per cent of the vote, according to the first oe24 exit poll.
Mr Kurz's party is tough on migration, easy on taxes and widely Eurosceptic after rebranding itself over the last few months to propel its popularity in the wealthy Alpine nation.
It is expected to form a coalition with the right-wing populist Freedom party, who got 29 per cent of the vote, according to the exit poll.
Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party, the largest party in the last government, are in third place with 25 per cent.
Exit polls including postal votes also showed Mr Kurz on course for victory, as the OVP got 30.2 per cent of the vote.
While the Freedom Party got 26.8 per cent of the vote.
Eurosceptic Mr Kurz, 31, is set to become Europe’s youngster leader after becoming foreign minister at the age of 27.
Although the OVP has been in government for 30 year and Mr Kurz is one of the cabinet’s longest serving ministers, he has run his campaign with a promise of change.
The stunning result will come as a crushing blow to the EU and essentially a strong vote against liberal politics, pedalled by France and Germany.
And as a member of the EU, Austria could now go on to resist efforts by Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron to reform the bloc and expand cooperation on issues such as immigration.
Mr Kurz has already rejected EU reform proposals by Mr Macron.
He was the foreign minister in the coalition government with the centre left SPÖ that ruled Austria until now.
Sunday’s result shows a move away from the middle ground and comes just a month after Germany's far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) won nearly 13 percent of the German vote.
Mr Kurz was one of the backers of the recent law imposed in Austria banning the burka.
He was also instrumental in closing down the Balkan route into Europe used by Middle Eastern refugees.
Mr Kurz’s OVP has promised to cut access to social welfare benefits for refugees for at least five years.
It comes after Austria was used as a gateway for nearly 900,000 migrants making their way to Germany.
It also received more than 68,000 applications for asylum in 2015.
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