The right is set to be the big winner in Austria’s upcoming general election / Austria election preview: Sebastian Kurz and the rise of the Austrian ‘anti-party’

Austria held a general election on 15 October 2017. Fabio Wolkenstein took stock of the campaign during the summer and autumn of 2017, which saw the centre-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) move into a polling lead under the leadership of Sebastian Kurz. He suggested that the most likely outcome to emerge from the election would be a coalition between the ÖVP and the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ).

See also other preview features via the related url hyperlinks below written in the weeks leading up to the election.

Coomentators noted the rise of an anti-immigration and anti-Muslim narrative in the campaign, and placed the election in the context of right-wing populist politics in Europe.

• Primary Source

ESO: Key source: Austrian Parliamentary Election, 2017 http://www.europeansources.info/record/austrian-parliamentary-election-2017/

Blog: LSE EuroppBlog, 04.10.17: Austria election preview: Sebastian Kurz and the rise of the Austrian ‘anti-party’ http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2017/10/04/austria-election-preview-sebastian-kurz-and-the-rise-of-the-austrian-anti-party/

Euro|Topics: Debates, October 2017: Austria's Social Democrats in difficulty http://www.eurotopics.net/en/187034/austria-s-social-democrats-in-difficulty

The Local.at, 01.10.17: Austrian ruling party's number two resigns over smear campaign https://www.thelocal.at/20171001/austrian-ruling-partys-number-two-resigns-over-smear-campaign

EUObserver, 03.10.17: [Opinion]: Sebastian Kurz - Austria's young master of reinvention? https://euobserver.com/opinion/139243

Deutsche Welle, 05.10.17: Austria's Renewer http://p.dw.com/p/2l7Mv

The Guardian, 05.10.17: Negative campaign sites scandal shakes up Austrian election race https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/05/negative-campaign-sites-scandal-shakes-up-austrian-election-race

Reuters, 05.10.17: Support for Austrian ruling party slips ahead of October 15 vote - poll https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-austria-election/support-for-austrian-ruling-party-slips-ahead-of-october-15-vote-poll-idUKKBN1CA21X

Al Jazeera, 15.10.17: Sebastian Kurz, 31, tipped as Austria's next leader http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/10/austria-election-171012104820908.html

The Guardian, 15.10.17: Austria set to elect youngest EU leader in move to the right https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/15/austria-set-to-elect-youngest-eu-leader-in-move-to-the-right

The Guardian, 10.10.17: Austrian populists expect to be kingmakers as politics takes turn to right https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/11/austria-faces-swerve-to-the-right-as-populist-party-dictates-election-agenda

Spiegel Online International, 13.10.17: Austrian Gambler. The Meteoric Rise of Sebastian Kurz http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/sebastian-kurz-hitting-the-austrian-election-trail-a-1172254.html

Deutsche Welle, 13.10.17: Make Austria Great Again: The rapid rise of Sebastian Kurz http://p.dw.com/p/2j9RI

Blog: Open Europe, 13.10.17: What to expect from Austrian elections https://openeurope.org.uk/today/blog/except-austrian-elections/

Blog: LSE EuroppBlog, 02.10.17: As the economy takes off in Austria, voters remain torn between economic optimism and anti-immigration politics http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2017/10/02/austrian-election-2017-refugees-kurz-immigration-economy/

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