The far-right Freedom Party's historic victory in an Austrian parliamentary election has left it isolated and partly at the mercy of a powerful critic: the president, who must oversee efforts towards forming a viable coalition government.

The far-right has won the most votes in an Austrian election for the first time since the Nazi era, as the pro-Kremlin, anti-Islam Freedom Party (FPÖ) beat the ruling centre-right People's Party (ÖVP).

Austria’s Freedom Party leads in the vote count, but may not be able to find coalition partners to form a government under provocative leader Herbert Kickl.

Political parties on the European right celebrated Sunday's parliamentary election victory by Austria's Freedom Party (FPO) as a boost for national conservatives amid advances by the hard right fuelled by worries about immigration.

Austria's far-right Freedom Party won a national parliamentary election, but it will struggle to find other parties willing to form a coalition government.

Victory for the FPO, which is critical of Islam and pledges tougher rules on asylum seekers, follows far-right gains in countries including the Netherlands, France and Germany.