Conservatives triumph in Austrian election

Right-winger Joerg Haider's Freedom Party stands a good chance of renewing its government coalition with the conservatives.

This is despite the party plunging in the polls to just over 10% - down from nearly 27% in the last elections.

Preliminary results show the conservative People's Party of Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel received more than 42% in Sunday's election.

The Social Democrats, the strongest party in the last election, were relegated to second place with just under 37% of the vote. The Greens came fourth at around 9%.

The Social Democrats have pledged to remain in opposition unless they came first in the poll.

The People's Party win is seen as being due to the loss of popularity of Haider and his party, after months of infighting that forced popular moderates out of government and left it dominated by right-wingers loyal to Haider.

Although some former Freedom Party voters drifted to the Social Democrats, most appeared to have backed the People's Party.

Schuessel, who said his party's win was "breathtaking", refused to comment on his choice of coalition partners, saying he would enter talks with all other major parties.

But a renewed coalition between Schuessel's conservatives and Haider's party appears the most likely option.