Polls are open in Austria where voters are casting ballots in a snap election that analysts say could result in a resurgence by conservatives.

Opinion polls favor Sebastian Kurz, the 31-year-old charismatic conservative party leader and current foreign minister, who observers say has succeeded in reinventing the conservative party and galvanizing the Austrian right, including the far right, following the breakdown of a coalition between conservatives and socialists.

The campaign has been dominated by the issue of immigration. Austria, with a population of just less than 9 million, accepted 90,000 asylum seekers, most of them Muslim, during the 2015 migrant crisis, fueling support for right-wing politicians who favor tougher immigration laws.

Conservatives suffered a blow in December 2016 when Norbert Hofer was narrowly defeated in an election also dominated by the issue of immigration, but in which voters chose a Green party candidate, Alexander van der Bellen.

Now, analysts say the conservative People’s Party, led by Kurz, has soared to No. 1 in the polls, leaving the far-right Freedom Party and the socialists vying for second place. 

Observers say the poll represents a chance for the far right to join a coalition government for the first time in years and mark a shift to the right in Austrian politics.
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