Austrian far-right party eyes win in close election race

Head of the Freedom Party Herbert Kickl waves to supporters besides party colleague Susanne Fuerst (Heinz-Peter Bader/AP)

Austria’s far-right Freedom Party could win a national election for the first time on Sunday, tapping into voters’ anxieties about immigration, inflation and Ukraine.

Herbert Kickl, a former interior minister and long-time campaign strategist who has led the Freedom Party since 2021, wants to become Austria’s new chancellor.