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Head of Austria's senior government coalition partner (VP) Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel (L) smiles next to Austria's Social Democrats Party leader Alfred Gusenbauer (C) and Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache (R) after a TV-discussion after parliamentary election in Vienna Sunday 01 October 2006. Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel on Sunday evening extended his 'wholehearted' congratulations to the opposition centre-left Social Democrats (SP) which appeared to have edged his People s Party (VP) to a surprise general election victory. The conservative VP was reeling from an unexpected and heavy loss, which saw it gain just 34.2 per cent of votes, down 8 percentage points on its 2002 performance and trailing the Social Democrats at 35.71 per cent, according to the preliminary final results. (KEYSTONE/EPA/HERBERT PFARRHOFER)