Austrian Freedom Party’s presidential candidate Norbert Hofer concedes election
Freedom Party’s Hofer Defeated By Greens’ Van der Bellen In Austria’s Presidential Election
Austria voted against the anti-immigrant, “far right” Freedom Party candidate Hofer as head of state in a presidential election race which became the latest test of rising anti-establishment forces in Europe after the election of Donald Trump as US president.
Norbert Hofer, the Freedom party candidate, won 46.7% of the vote in Sunday’s contest according to early results and projections. His opponent Alexander Van der Bellen, a Green politician who ran as an independent, won 53.3%.
A mapped breakdown shows that most of Austria voted for Hofer, however it was the big cities that again came to Van der Bellen’s aid.
If the forecasts are correct, Mr Van der Bellen would have increased his lead after narrowly winning against Mr Hofer when the election was first run in May. The result will come as a relief for Europe’s mainstream political leaders, suggesting support for political disruption make have reached a limit following Mr Trump’s election and the UK vote to leave the EU.
Quoted by the FT, Thomas Hofer, a political analyst in Vienna, said that “the narrative of these forces being unstoppable has been broken — or at least stalled. It lifts some of the pressure and gloom about where Europe is going.”
Nevertheless the strong showing by the Freedom party is still likely to be seen as a boost for Marine Le Pen, leader of the France’s National Front ahead of her country’s presidential election next year. Herbert Kickl, who ran Mr Hofer’s campaign, described the vote as a “historic” for the Freedom party.
Don’t count the Freedom Party out yet though: according to oppinion polls, Freedom party could become Austria’s largest political party after parliamentary elections due by September 2018 but expected to be called early. That could see the party’s leader Heinz-Christian Strache becoming the country’s next chancellor.
“This may be only a temporary relief for European leaders if it strengthens the Freedom Party’s chances in parliamentary elections,” said Heather Grabbe, European politics expert at the Open Society European Policy Institute in Brussels.
Source: http://blogdogcicle.blogspot.com/2016/12/austrian-freedom-partys-presidential.html
