First results show Freedom Party leads Austria's general election

VIENNA -- The first results from Austria's parliamentary election held on Sunday showed that the far-right Freedom Party is leading the national vote and set to secure its first-ever general election win, according to media reports.

The Freedom Party is projected to win 29.1 percent of the vote, well ahead of the ruling conservative People's Party with 26.2 percent of support, according to a projection published by Austrian broadcaster ORF and news agency APA shortly after the polls closed at 5 pm local time.

This marks a significant gain for the Freedom Party compared to the general election in 2019 when the party garnered 16.2 percent of support. The People's Party, however, received a major blow, as it received 37.5 percent of the vote in the previous election.

The projection put the Social Democratic Party firmly in the third place in Sunday's election with 20.4 percent of the vote, slightly down from 21.2 percent in the 2019 election.