VIENNA — Austrians rejected a right-wing populist to represent them as head of state by a wafer-thin margin last year. But after a general campaign focused on immigration and rocked by scandal, voters appear poised in elections this Sunday to give populism a new push by granting a far-right party at least a share of power in the next government.

The recent Austrian presidential election, followed by the defeat of far-right candidates in the Netherlands and in France this year, appeared to blunt the surge of populism in Europe. But last month, the far-right Alternative for Germany party won more than 90 seats in the German Parliament, making it the third-largest bloc in the legislature. A strong performance in Austria by the far-right Freedom Party could give populists additional momentum.

If the polls are correct, the party could emerge from voting on Sunday in second place, with a strong chance of returning to the government for the first time in more than a decade, most likely as the junior partner in a government led by the conservative People’s Party.

While Austria is among the wealthier countries in Europe, it is struggling to get people back to work after five years of growing unemployment. Those economic troubles, combined with fears of globalization and the rapid pace of change driven by the digital revolution, have unsettled a normally consensus-seeking electorate.