Austria's Schuessel loses regional vote
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel's party lost on Sunday a regional vote seen as linked to his tough stance against Turkey becoming a member of the European Union. Provisional election results on Sunday showed the Social Democrats won control of the southern province of Styria, a stronghold of Schuessel's People's Party since 1945.
Diplomats and media commentators have said Schuessel tried to gain support with his stance on Turkey after rising unemployment and unpopular cuts in Austria's generous welfare state damaged support for his government. Austria is alone in the European Union in opposing the terms for launching entry talks with Turkey on Monday and is demanding a clear alternative to full membership. Opinion polls suggest 80 percent of Austrians oppose Turkey joining the bloc. Diplomats, however, have said they hoped Vienna would drop its opposition after polls closed at 1400 GMT (1500 BST) in Styria. EU foreign ministers must agree a negotiating mandate in an emergency meeting in Luxembourg on Sunday night.
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