Austria presidential vote: Run-off race too close to call

Partial results in Austria’s run-off presidential election, which pitches the far right against an independent, suggest it is too close to call. Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party appeared to be in the lead initially, but Alexander Van der Bellen has moved ahead with nearly 80% of votes counted. For the first time since World […]

Partial results in Austria’s run-off presidential election, which pitches the far right against an independent, suggest it is too close to call.
Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party appeared to be in the lead initially, but Alexander Van der Bellen has moved ahead with nearly 80% of votes counted.
For the first time since World War Two, both the main centrist parties were knocked out in the first round.
A key issue in the campaign was Europe’s migrant crisis.
About 90,000 people claimed asylum in Austria last year, equivalent to about 1% of the Austrian population, and the Freedom Party ran an anti-immigration campaign.
The presidency is a largely ceremonial post, but a Hofer victory could be the springboard for Freedom Party success in the next parliamentary elections, scheduled for 2018.