A pro-EU candidate on Monday eked out a victory over a right-wing, anti-migrant rival to become Austria’s next president, in a tight contest viewed across Europe as a proxy fight pitting the continent’s political center against its increasingly strong populist and anti-establishment movements.
European mainstream parties joined local supporters of Austrian president-elect Alexander Van der Bellen in congratulating him on his victory over Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer, with German Minister of Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier saying: “All of Europe is now breathing more easily.”
However, with less than 1 percentage point separating the two, the Freedom Party and its allies across Europe also had reason to celebrate what they cast as a major political surge by one of their own.
Hofer had been narrowly ahead of former Greens leader Alexander van der Bellen — running as an independent — after the counting of votes directly cast on Sunday. However, about 700,000 absentee ballots still remained to be tallied on Monday and those numbers swung the victory to Van der Bellen.
Austrian Minister of the Interior Wolfgang Sobotka said Van der Bellen collected 50.3 percent of the votes, compared with 49.7 percent for Hofer.
Only a little more than 31,000 votes separated the two, out of more than 4.6 million ballots cast.
The results diminish the scenario that Austria’s political landscape could immediately move away from its centrist political image through a new president who could oppose the government’s EU-friendly policies and increase pressure for tighter migrant controls. Still, the narrow margin for Van der Bellen is the latest indication that Europe’s anti-establishment parties are gaining influence.
Hofer announced his defeat shortly before the official announcement on Facebook and thanked his backers for their support.
He said that he is “naturally sad,” adding: “I would have been happy to have cared for our wonderful country as federal president.”
His post said that the work of his supporters during the election is “not lost, but an investment in the future.”
With the results close, Freedom Party Secretary-General Herbert Kickl said it might demand a recount “in case of significant signs of abuses” during the absentee vote count.
A Freedom Party meeting was called for yesterday.
Hofer’s Freedom Party has exploited anti-EU sentiment and fear that Austria could be overrun by refugees to become the country’s most-popular political force.
Van der Bellen was generally supported by pro-EU Austrians favoring humane immigration policies and others opposed to the right.
Despite pledges by both candidates to be the president of all Austrians, the split vote revealed unprecedented polarization over which direction the nation should now take, particularly over migration and the EU’s future.
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