Vienna, 29 September 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) is battling the governing conservatives in parliamentary elections on Sunday that could see the anti-immigrant party gain a historic victory.

If predictions are correct, Austria's far right is poised to win the Austrian National Council vote with 27% support, after long leading in the polls.

However, the latest polls put the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) led by Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), close behind at 25%.

Predictions suggest the Social Democrats (SPÖ) are likely to gain around 21% of the vote.

The Greens, currently governing in a coalition with the conservatives, look set to win 9%, as does the liberal NEOS party.

Nearly 6.4 million citizens in Austria are eligible to elect a new parliament, with what happens after the vote unclear.

Immigration has been a central topic of the campaign. The far right, led by Herbert Kickl, intends to crack down on immigration with full force if it takes over government, and also accelerate the deportation of migrants to their home countries.

In terms of forming a government, the far right and conservatives have not ruled out working together, but Nehammer is insisting that if they form a coalition, it should not involve Kickl.

A further possibility could be a three-way coalition between the conservatives, Social Democrats and NEOS.

Photo: MIA archive