A lawmaker from the far-right Freedom Party has been elected as the new speaker of Austria’s parliament, weeks after the party won a national election for the first time.

Walter Rosenkranz, from Austria's Freedom Party, becomes the first far-right speaker of the lower house, sparking debate due to his past affiliations. His election was supported by the conservatives but faced opposition from left-wing parties and the Jewish community over concerns about his political associations.

His critics point to his membership of a far-right fraternity and his praise for a prominent Nazi, arguing such a senior office requires a more statesmanlike figure. "It is still difficult for me to realise that you have thus added me to a long line of historic figures of this country,

Austrian lawmakers on Thursday elected for the first time a far-right politician as parliament president despite the Jewish community criticising the nominee for having paid "hommage to Nazi criminals".