Fate of Austria's right wing in balance

Austrians chose from a handful of parties in parliamentary elections today after a lacklustre campaign focused largely on who would pick up the disaffected voters of right-wing Joerg Haider, whose popularity has plummeted in recent months.

The race between the conservative People’s Party of Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel and the opposition Social Democrats, led by Alfred Gusenbauer, was too close to call, according to the latest opinion polls.