Sebastian Kurz to be Europe's youngest leader as Austria turns to the right

The People's Party (ÖVP) won 31.6% of the vote, with at least 62 seats, in Sunday's Austrian parliamentary elections, making its 31-year-old leader, Sebastian Kurz, the world’s youngest head of government.

The far-right, anti-immigration Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) came in third place with 26%, amounting to 51 seats, while the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) managed to garner 26.9%, placing them in second with 53 seats.

For the first time in Austria’s history, the two rightwing parties both managed to increase their seats tally without taking votes off each other.

This shift in Austria’s political landscape comes less than a year after the FPÖ’s Norbert Hofer was beaten in the presidential vote by a Green-backed candidate, Alexander Van der Bellen.

KURZ, THE YOUNGEST EUROPEAN LEADER

The Vienna-born politician is expected to form a government with the far-right FPÖ, after he ended a grand coalition government with the center-left SPÖ earlier this year. It would mark the first time the far-right party enters government since 2000.

Kurz said he was “overwhelmed” with the result, vowing to introduce to the country a “new political culture” of togetherness under his leadership.

"I would of course like to form a stable government. If that cannot be done then there are other options", Kurz told ORD.

FALL OF THE GREEN PARTY

The New Austrian and Liberal Forum (NEOS) picked up 5.1% of the vote, amounting to 10 seats, which remains roughly unchanged from the 2013 election.

The Green party experienced a disastrous evening after a recent party split, losing 8.5% compared to the 2013 election. The Greens managed to garner 3.9% of the vote, which isn't enough to make it into parliament.

A final vote count is expected Thursday.

PRAYING FOR AUSTRIA

According to the Austrian Evangelical Alliance, “the legislative election in Austria is a battleground in the fight between mainstream European politicians and far-right populists”.

During the election campaign, the the Austrian Evangelical Alliance called to pray for their political leaders and the Austrian believers, to get involved and be a testimony for others.