Created after World War I from the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, and allied with Germany, it has long had a strong flirtation with the far right. In the last national parliamentary elections in 2017, the Socialists narrowly outpolled the Freedom Party, 52 seats to 51. "Vienna plays a key role for Putin and for the far right," Peter Pilz, an independent Austrian lawmaker told The New York Times . As part of the ruling government coalition, the Freedom Party has sought to chip away at Austria's traditional, hard-won neutrality. Going into next week's elections for the European Parliament, the far right is also now facing a general election in Austria.

Source: CNN May 19, 2019 17:03 UTC