Sebastian Kurz's party wins Austria parliamentary electionSeptember 30, 2019 - 11:00 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's People's Party (ÖVP) won a clear victory in Austria's snap parliamentary election, Deutsche Welle reports. Kurz's party scored 37.1 percent in Sunday, September 29's vote — an increase of 5.7 percentage points compared with the 2017 poll. The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) suffered a worse-than-expected loss, down almost 10 percentage points to around 16%, a sign that the party's reputation may have suffered after a corruption scandal earlier this year. The center-left Social Democrats (SPÖ) plunged five percentage points to around 22%, the party's worst results since World War II. The Greens gained 10.2 points to reach 14%, raising the prospect of a coalition between the ÖVP and the Greens. Some 6.4 million Austrians were eligible to vote in Sunday's parliamentary election. Since World War II, Austria has been governed by either the ÖVP or the SPÖ. For 44 years in total, the two ruled together, but it was Kurz who ended their last partnership, leading to the 2017 polls. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. |