SEBASTIAN KURZ is on track to return as Austria’s chancellor after a historic election victory, but the road to a new government is fraught with hazards.

Austrian voters made his People’s Party and the Greens the clear winners in snap elections triggered by the collapse of his alliance with the nationalist Freedom Party. If the conservative and environmentalist groups can hash out a deal, a coalition would break new ground in Austria and send a signal across Europe.

“This is a great victory for Kurz, but it’s not making it any easier to form a government,” said Thomas Hofer, a political analyst in Vienna.

The People’s Party is projected to have won 37.1 percent of the vote, widening support for the second straight election, according to public broadcaster ORF. Amid surging concerns about global warming, the Greens tripled their share to 14 percent, making them a leading candidate in a governing coalition.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen said he would ask Kurz to form a government after talking with all the leaders of the parliamentary parties. The 33-year-old deflected questions about a possible coalition, but showed little signs of wanting to compromise.

The Green leader Werner Kogler, meanwhile, made it clear that he won’t easily bend to Kurz’s will.

With five diverse groups entering Austria’s parliament, the vote reflects the splintered state of European politics and the surging importance of environmental concerns. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU lost its lead over the country’s Greens in a recent nationwide poll. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future demonstrations have increased the awareness of climate change.

(SD-Agencies)