The centre-right party headed by foreign minister Sebastian Kurz has won Austria's national election, putting the 31-year old on track to become Europe's youngest leader, the country's interior ministry said.

The party of Austria's 31-year old foreign minister came first in a national election Sunday, putting him on course to become Europe's youngest head of government, forecasts suggested.

The European Union should avoid any moves towards political “centralisation” or else Austria could hold a referendum on membership of the bloc within a year, a far-right candidate who almost won the country’s presidential election said.

AUSTRIA: As the campaign for Austria’s general election enters its gruelling final phase, two high-profile contenders have gone beyond rolling up their shirt sleeves — they have taken off their shirts.

THE far-right resurged in local elections in Vienna, the Austrian capital, securing the biggest gains in votes and mandates following a campaign laced with anti-Islamic rhetoric.

The far-right resurged in local elections in Vienna, the Austrian capital, securing the biggest gains in votes and mandates following a campaign laced with anti-Islamic rhetoric.

Austrians were bracing themselves for a sharp shift in the country’s political direction today after two far-right, anti-immigration parties made big gains in national elections.

Austria’s far-right parties made huge gains in weekend parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results, while the Social Democrats took the most votes but saw their worst results in decades.

Up to 350 members of right-wing student groups gathered in central Vienna to mark the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender to the Allies, as about 400 people took part in a counter-demonstration.