Vienna - Austria's resurgent far-right Freedom Party was the most popular choice among young voters in Sunday's parliamentary election, winning above-average support among those aged 30 or below, exit polls found. Immigration and law-and-order were the most important election issues for supporters of the Freedom Party and the Alliance for the Future of Austria, which together won some 29 per cent of the vote.
While Austria lowered the voting age to 16 from 18 for the election, polls about the sentiment of the youngest voters were not immediately available.
Among 30-and-below voters, 25 per cent said they voted for the Freedom Party, compared to 23 per cent for the ailing centre-right Austrian People's Party and 21 per cent for the Social Democrats, who won the most votes overall in Sunday's poll.
Nationally, the Freedom Party won 18 per cent, the People's Party 25.6 per cent and the Social Democrats 29.7 per cent.
The Social Democrats, who engineered a hike in national retiree benefits days before the election, had a wide lead among older voters and retirees, winning 37 per cent among those aged 60 and older, ORF reported.
