Austrian Tories make gains and Nazi vote falls

Talks following Austria’s snap general election on Sunday are likely to produce another right wing government.

It was called after the Tory-Nazi coalition government was brought down in May after a corruption scandal triggered mass protests.

The Tory OVP topped the poll, increasing its share of the vote to 37 percent from 31 percent at the last election. OVP leader Sebastian Kurz has promised tax cuts for the rich and to slash public spending.

During the last government Kurz put himself at the forefront of scapegoating migrants, refugees and Muslims.

The Labour-type SPO clung on to second place, but saw its support sink further to 22 percent.

The fascist FPO party lost a third of its vote after its former leader Heinz Christian Strache was at the centre of a corruption scandal.

The Tories and Nazis could still seek to form a government.

Another possibility is a coalition of the Tories, the right wing liberal New Austria Party and the Green Party.

The Green Party returned to having seats into parliament with 14 percent of the vote, partly by positioning itself to the left of the social democrats.