Austria’s far-right leads in presidential vote

The candidate for Austria’s far-right Freedom Party won more than 36 per cent of votes cast in Sunday’s presidential election, according to first projections from public broadcaster ORF, the party’s best result ever in national elections.

Norbert Hofer, a politician who ran on an anti-immigrant and anti-Europe platform, will now face a run-off against either of the independent candidates, the Greens’ Alexander van der Bellen or former Supreme Court judge Irmgard Griss.

Mr Van der Bellen, a Green Party veteran, and Ms Griss were neck-and-neck in the first projections, having won nearly 20 per cent and nearly 19 per cent of votes respectively. For an all-out win a candidate must obtain more than 50 per cent of votes.

Griss would be Austria’s first female president.

This election breaks Austria’s postwar tradition of having either a candidate from the centre-left Social Democrats or the conservative People’s Party to fill the job as head of state. This change could shake the foundation of the two parties’ long-running government coalition.

The incumbent, 77-year-old Social Democrat Heinz Fischer, cannot run for a third term after two six-year terms in office.

– (Reuters)