Austria set to elect EU’s youngest leader

 VIENNA: Austrians were voting Sunday in a watershed election tipped to see conservative Sebastian Kurz, 31, become the EU's youngest leader and form an alliance with the far-right, in the bloc's latest populist test, reports AFP.

A rightward shift in the wealthy European Union member of 8.75 million people would be a fresh headache for Brussels as it struggles with Britain's decision to leave and the rise of nationalists in Germany, Hungary, Poland and elsewhere.

But all signs indicate that Austrians, fed up with a record influx of asylum-seekers, want to swap the gridlocked centrist rule for a more hardline government for the first time in a decade.

The People's Party (OeVP), rebranded by "whizz-kid" Kurz as a "movement", is forecast to reap more than 30 percent of the vote with pledges to go tough on migrants and easy on taxes.

 The eurosceptic Freedom Party (FPOe) is battling for second place with the beleaguered Social Democrats (SPOe) of incumbent Chancellor Christian Kern.

Kurz -- who as new OeVP leader forced the snap vote in May by ending the coalition with Kern -- has yanked his party to the right and is expected to seek a coalition with the far-right.

 

Austria set to elect EUs youngest leader

VIENNA: Austrians were voting Sunday in a watershed election tipped to see conservative Sebastian Kurz, 31, become the EUs youngest leader and form an alliance with the far-right, in the blocs latest populist test, reports AFP. A rightward shift in the wealthy European Union member of 8.75 million people would be a fresh headache for Brussels as it struggles with Britains decision to leave and the rise of nationalists in Germany, Hungary, Poland and elsewhere. But all signs indicate that Austrians, fed up with a record influx of asylum-seekers, want to swap the gridlocked centrist rule for a more hardline government for the first time in a decade. The Peoples Party (OeVP), rebranded by whizz-kid Kurz as a movement, is forecast to reap more than 30 percent of the vote with pledges to go tough on migrants and easy on taxes. The eurosceptic Freedom Party (FPOe) is battling for second place with the beleaguered Social Democrats (SPOe) of incumbent Chancellor Christian Kern. Kurz -- who as new OeVP leader forced the snap vote in May by ending the coalition with Kern -- has yanked his party to the right and is expected to seek a coalition with the far-right.