Posted on 10/16/2017 7:05:12 AM PDT by marktwain
Sebastian Kurz's election victory last night has sent shockwaves through Europe as it appears he may seek a coalition with the country's anti-immigration Freedom Party.
The Eurosceptic leader of Austria's right-leaning People's Party has declared victory in a national election that puts him on track to become the world's youngest leader.
Kurz, 31, fell well short of a majority and may be looking to strike a deal with another party.
The Freedom Party (FPO) got around 26 percent of votes in Sunday's parliamentary vote, boosted by a European migration crisis in 2015 that affected Austria and also led Kurz to campaign on an anti-migration platform.
Today European Union ministers congratulated Austria's Sebastian Kurz on his election victory but some were uneasy about the far-right, eurosceptic party that may enter the new government.
And German chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the surge in support for the FPO posed a 'big challenge' for other parties.
Before arriving to talks with his EU peers Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said: 'I don't have a problem with Sebastian Kurz as a person. We're not following the same line politically, that has never been the case and it never will be.'
He listed pro-European Austrian politicians as role models for Kurz and warned Vienna not to side with migration hardliners, including Hungary, whose government is also eurosceptic.
Austria became a member of the European Union in 1995 after voting in favour of joining the bloc with a two-thirds majority. Recent opinion polls suggest three quarters of Austrians want the country to stay in the bloc.
The FPO demanded a referendum only last year to exit the EU, as Britain is doing now. The party has toned down its anti-EU rhetoric in recent months but continues to call for weaker members
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
About 32% for PP, and 26% for Freedom Party.
Final results will take a week or so to come out.
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