Austria's main far-right party has recorded its strongest performance since the leadership of Joerg Haider in a municipal poll in Vienna.
The Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), led by Heinz-Christian Strache, scored 27.0% of the vote, an increase of 12% from the previous poll in 2005.
The result is just short of the FPO's best performance in 1996, when it recorded 27.9% under the leadership of Mr Haider, who died in a drink-driving accident in 2008.
Mr Haider, who achieved international notoriety for his pro-Nazi declarations, galvanised Austria's far-right vote through populist rhetoric.
The FPO's strong showing came at the expense of the ruling Social Democratic Party, who saw their share of the vote fall from 49.1% to 44.1%.
The Social Democrats, who have run the city since 1919 with the exception of the period of Nazi occupation, said the FPO picked up votes in poorer areas of the city through anti-immigration and anti-Islam slogans.
Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann said his party's poor performance was down to ‘difficulties linked to integration’ of immigrants.
