On Sunday, Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) came first in the country’s election — and local investors Sifted has spoken to have mixed feelings. The pro-Kremlin, anti-Islam and anti-immigration FPÖ won 28.9% of votes, according to official results. The party will have to form a coalition with other parties to govern, but it’s likely to take a lead in forming new conservative policies.
Analysis
October 1, 2024
Investors show mixed feelings about Austria’s far-right electoral win
Austria’s far-right Freedom Party came first in the country’s recent election, but what does it mean for tech?
Zosia Wanat and Miriam Partington
3 min read
Zosia Wanat was a senior reporter at Sifted. She covered the CEE region and policy. Follow her on X and LinkedIn
Miriam Partington was a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covered the DACH region and the future of work, and wrote Startup Life , a weekly newsletter on what it takes to build a startup.

Up Round newsletter
Your weekly snapshot of European VC, covering the latest funding trends, new VC funds, people moves and gossip.
Recommended
The European VCs hiring in spring 2026
From Creandum and Northzone to Visionaries and Antler, these are the VCs currently in the market for fresh talent
These are the top 10 physical AI hubs in Europe
€7bn and counting: here’s where the most deals happened in the last two years
Three lessons from Silicon Valley for Europe
Billboards scream AI dominance in San Francisco — but the continent's path may lie elsewhere


