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| Voters head to polls in Austria | Voters head to polls in Austria |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Voters in Austria are going to the polls in an early general election that opinion polls suggest could result in a surge from the far right. | |
| The elections were called after a coalition between the Social Democrats and the conservative People's Party fell apart after just 18 months. | The elections were called after a coalition between the Social Democrats and the conservative People's Party fell apart after just 18 months. |
| Polls hint that has opened the door for the Freedom Party and the Alliance for the Future of Austria to gain strength. | Polls hint that has opened the door for the Freedom Party and the Alliance for the Future of Austria to gain strength. |
| Voters appear disenchanted with the centre left and centre right. | Voters appear disenchanted with the centre left and centre right. |
| Coalition building | |
| The People's Party and the Social Democrats are battling for first place but the polls suggest the mood in the country could give a boost to Heinz-Christian Strache's Freedom Party and Joerg Haider's Alliance for the Future of Austria. | The People's Party and the Social Democrats are battling for first place but the polls suggest the mood in the country could give a boost to Heinz-Christian Strache's Freedom Party and Joerg Haider's Alliance for the Future of Austria. |
| However, the shape of any future governing coalition is hard to predict. | However, the shape of any future governing coalition is hard to predict. |
| Analysts say the far right could re-enter government but only after all other options are exhausted. | Analysts say the far right could re-enter government but only after all other options are exhausted. |
| These include another grand coalition or pacts with the Greens and the two other smaller parties who are hoping to gain the 4% needed to enter parliament. | These include another grand coalition or pacts with the Greens and the two other smaller parties who are hoping to gain the 4% needed to enter parliament. |
| For the first time in a European Union country, 16 and 17-year-olds are being allowed to vote in a general election. Around 200,000 young people are eligible to cast their votes. | For the first time in a European Union country, 16 and 17-year-olds are being allowed to vote in a general election. Around 200,000 young people are eligible to cast their votes. |