We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again.

And the crisis could a huge headache for Brussels as the anti-EU Freedom Party is currently leading in the polls.

Yesterday the future of the coalition government was thrown into doubt after Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner resigned, prompting calls for an election.

Many within his People’s Party believe an election should be called rather than simply replacing him as party leader and continuing the shaky coalition with the Social Democrats.

The two parties had clashed regularly since taking power together in 2013 and Mr Mitterlehner’s resignation looks set to be the uneasy alliance’s death knoll.