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Austria's eurosceptic parties win 36 per cent in EU polls (Extra)
Jun 7, 2009, 15:48 GMT
Vienna - Austria's three eurosceptic movements, including far-right parties, won 36 per cent of the votes for the European Parliament Sunday, according to projections based on 57 per cent of counted ballots.
Independent eurosceptic candidate Hans-Peter Martin received 18 per cent of the ballots, to the surprise of pollsters.
He emerged as the third-strongest force after Austria's ruling coalition parties: The centre-right People's Party won 30 per cent, while the Social Democratic Party was Sunday's biggest loser with 24 per cent, 10 per cent less than in 2004.
Austria's two far-right parties, which are also critical of the European Union, trailed Martin. The Freedom Party collected 13 per cent of the votes, less than in the national elections last September, while the Alliance for the Future of Austria was projected to stand at 5 per cent, below the threshold for winning a seat.
Together, Martin's ticket and the Freedom Party would take 5 of Austria's 17 seats in the European Parliament, up from two among the current total of 18 seats.
Martin campaigned against what he calls the 'bloated EU bureaucracy' in Brussels, and against Turkey's accession to the EU.
The Freedom Party stressed similar policies, but also banked on xenophobic sentiments tinged with anti-Islamism and anti-Semitism.
Austrians are among the EU's most eurosceptic citizens, along with countries such as Latvia, Hungary and Britain.
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EpiminondasJun 8th, 2009 - 15:26:32
Well, duh! Why wouldn't Austria be opposed to allowing Turkey into the EU? For those of us who actually read history books, the Austrians know something about Islam, and they don't want it on their doorstep AGAIN. Presumably, the experience of 600 years in the Balkans to their south has made them aware of the 'benefits' of diversity.
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