“Neither a coalition with the FPO nor one with the SPO has been agreed,” Kurz told broadcaster ORF when pressed on his plans. Kern’s Social Democrats appear split on how to proceed after years of bickering with long-term coalition partner OVP made a centrist coalition all but impossible amid distrust of the far right. The president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, who was the US ambassador to Austria from 1986 to 1987, called for the Freedom Party to be kept out of government. The Freedom Party, which says it has rid its rank of anti-Semitic elements, has said it shares an enemy with Israel in political Islam. A projection by pollster SORA showed the OVP winning with 31.6 percent based on a count of all non-postal ballots.

Source: bd News24 October 16, 2017 08:15 UTC