2 of the vote and 21 seats before a short head Greens 10

They had led to a form of paralysis and the arrival in force on the political scene of the extreme right of Jörg Haider in 1999. Large coalitions between Social Democrats and conservatives, who over the last decade had more good news in Austria. The country is yet poised to resume, in all probability, with the Government combining these two major formations. The results of the legislative elections of Sunday offer little alternative to reach a majority in the Nationalrat, the Chamber of Deputies. Except to consider a coalition between the people's Party (VP) of the Chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel, and the two extreme-right formations. But the most important of them, the Liberal Party (FP), and the VP had explicitly rejected such a possibility before the elections.

Unlike that predicted all polls for six months, the Social Democratic Party (SP) arrived at the head of the election with 35.7 of the vote and 68 seats, before the VP, which was achieved only 34.2 of the vote and 66 members. The FP came in third place with 11.2 of the vote and 21 seats, before a short head Greens (10.5 of the votes and 20 members), which produced the best score in their history. As the Alliance for the future of the Austria (BZ), the new party of Jörg Haider, he crossed narrowly the fateful bar of 4 (8 MPs) to enter Parliament. At least according to the provisional results for the available time.

These numbers ignore, indeed, of the 400,000 ballots of Austrian citizens who voted outside polling of their home and abroad. Of the vote that could oust the BZ of the Assembly and make possible a "red-green" coalition

One thing is sure, Alfred Gusenbauer, leader of the SP, should be called upon to form the Government. Negotiations between parties might last until Christmas, according to experts. The differences between the VP and the SP are not so important, limited primarily to the nature of the tax cuts and education. But the Conservatives must digest their unexpected defeat. The polls gave them again 2 to 4 percentage points last week.

"Internal discipline".

The decline in the participation rate of nearly 10 points from the last election in 2002, 74 would in part explain this setback of the VP. "Many of its activists remained home lulled by the certainty of victory." "While the SP was, once again, the demonstration of his discipline internal", pointed out, yesterday, the "Kleine Zeitung". While the splashing and depriving it of many voices, the scandal of the Bank Bawag ("Les Echos" from September 30, 2006) led him to strengthen its ranks. The Conservatives, perhaps, also, lost votes in favour of the extreme right, which has carried out more than 15 of the vote, against 10 four years ago, outbidding of xenophobic statements.

"The VP has shown great arrogance and almost did not conduct campaign, satisfied to win with its flattering economic report, note Margaretha Kopeining, journalist with the daily Kurier". "And Wolfgang Schüssel appeared very sufficient, contrary to Alfred Gusenbauer, whose modesty has finally been charged," she added.

"The effects of the current economic recovery are very noticeable step, especially for the less privileged, full political scientist Anton Pelinka.". Social inequalities deepens, on the contrary, in Austria, as in the rest of Europe. "A situation certainly updated the liabilities of the conservatives.