The death of Joerg Haider makes a reunification of the two far-right parties in Austria more likely, but they may struggle to keep rural and middle-class voters.
Mr Haider, 58, was killed in a car accident in his home province of Carinthia early yesterday, travelling at 142 km per hour - twice the legal speed limit, state prosecutors said today.
Hundreds of mourners on today held prayers, lit candles and placed wreaths at government headquarters in the regional capital of Klagenfurt, where he had been governor, and at the accident site.
Mr Haider helped Austria's two far right groups win nearly 30 per cent of the vote in a parliamentary election two weeks ago, exploiting discontent over squabbling centrist governing parties, inflation and immigration.
And analysts said his sudden departure would increase prospects of reunification between his splinter Alliance for Austria's Future and the bigger Freedom Party.
The firebrand populist was the main driver of the split between the Alliance and Freedom. There is no obvious successor.
"This (his death) removes an obstacle for the Alliance rejoining Freedom, because the Alliance really only made sense under Haider," said Peter Pulzer, an expert in Austrian affairs at Oxford University.
Alliance leaders met in Vienna on today but the party might choose not to rush into a quick decision on reunification.