Photo : Collected
As jubilant Austrian far-right supporters celebrated their party's historic win in Sunday's national elections with beers, they knew forming a government would not be easy.
"It's a real success... (but) I predict that no matter who forms the government, we will certainly not have one before Christmas," Erik Berglund, a 35-year-old waiter, told AFP.
Led by sharp-tongued Herbert Kickl since 2021, the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) had been tipped to narrowly beat the ruling conservatives but Sunday's results -- with the party getting around 29 percent -- were even slightly better than expected.
Like other party supporters around him in traditional Austrian dress, Berglund credited Kickl the "most competent leader".
But he said it would now be up to the other parties to decide if the FPOe head can become chancellor.
"It will certainly be a very, very exciting time," he added as electric blue light -- the FPOe colour -- illuminated the restaurant in downtown Vienna where the party was celebrating.
Messenger/Disha
