FILE PHOTO: Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen waits for Slovak President Peter Pellegrini in Vienna, Austria, September 11, 2024. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo
VIENNA (Reuters) - The far-right Freedom Party's historic victory in an Austrian parliamentary election has left it isolated and partly at the mercy of a powerful critic: the president, who must oversee efforts towards forming a viable coalition government.
The Eurosceptic, Russia-friendly Freedom Party (FPO) won for the first time, but its 29% vote share fell well short of a parliamentary majority. It needs a coalition partner to govern, and other parties' leaders say they are not interested.
