VIENNA - Austria's conservative People's Party, led by former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, appears to be heading for a clear victory in the general election.
First projected results suggest Mr Kurz's party won about 37% of the vote, up from 31% last time round.
His former coalition partners, the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), received less than 17%, a sharp fall.
The snap general election was called after a scandal caused the previous coalition government to collapse.
Mr Kurz, 33, could choose to renew his alliance with the Freedom Party - the source of the scandal - but may want to look at other options.
A three-way pact with the Greens (forecast to get 13.1%) and the liberal Neos party (7.8%) is not out of the question. A grand coalition with the Social Democrats (22.5%) is considered less likely.
Coalition talks are widely expected to be difficult, and may last for weeks.
Polling stations opened at 07:00 (05:00 GMT) and closed at 17:00. Some 6.4 million people were eligible to vote in the election.
After casting his ballot on Sunday, Mr Kurz briefly addressed reporters.
"Our most important election goal is that there will be no majority [in parliament] against us," he said.(FA)