USA TODAY International Edition
A narrow loss for far right in Austria
Ex- Green Party chief beats anti- immigrant candidate by less than 1% of votes cast
Austrian anti- immigrant VIENNA candidate Norbert Hofer lost his bid Monday to become the first far- right president of a European country since World War II.
Hofer conceded to former Green Party chief Alexander Van der Bellen, who won a very close race after hundreds of thousands of ballots cast by mail were counted. The Interior Ministry announced that the official tally showed Van der Bellen won 50.3% of the vote to 49.7% for Hofer.
“Dear Friends! I would like to thank you for your great support. Of course I’m sad today,” Hofer told his Freedom Party supporters in a post to his Facebook account. “I will remain loyal to you and my contribution for a positive future in Austria.”
“Please don’t be despondent,” he added. “The use for this campaign is not lost but an investment in the future.”
Van der Bellen told his jubilant supporters Monday, “I will try my best to earn the trust of Norbert Hofer’s voters.”
Speaking of his narrow victory margin, he said: “This is a symbol. We were talking a lot about dividing lines — left and right, city and countryside, young and old — but we can see it this way: We are equal. There are two halves that make up Austria, and both are equally important.”
More than 4.6 million ballots were cast. Hofer led slightly among people who voted in person on Sunday, but Van der Bellen, who ran as an independent, pulled ahead when 750,000 ballots sent by mail were counted.
Many of those ballots were cast by Austrians living outside the country who opposed Hofer’s anti- immigration and antiEuropean Union stance.
Van der Bellen’s victory marks the first time since World War II that a candidate representing Austria’s two mainstream parties — the left- leaning Social Democrats and the conservative People’s Party — will not occupy the largely ceremonial presidency.
President Heinz Fischer, a Social Democrat, is barred from running again after serving two terms.
The country’s two main parties lost in last month’s first round of voting, reflecting a voter backlash against the flood of refugees and other migrants pouring into Europe.
Last year, Austria received around 90,000 asylum requests, the second- highest in the EU on a per capita basis. Most of the migrants are Muslims from the Middle East and North Africa fleeing violence and poverty.
Many voters said they were relieved that Hofer lost. “With these two candidates I didn’t even have to think who to vote for one second,” said Maria Grabherr, 28, who works in fashion in the capital. “Anything else than Van der Bellen would have been irresponsible and stupid.”
Lorenz Krasser, 27, an accountant in Vienna, said he voted for Hofer because of his firm stance on limiting immigration. “This is the biggest topic for Europe in the coming years,” he said.
Unlike the chancellor, the president does not wield much legal authority. But Hofer could have helped lay the framework for the future election of Freedom Party candidates in the parliament. His victory also could have given an inspirational lift to growing right- wing movements elsewhere in Europe.
Hofer’s aides claimed victory even in defeat. “This is a gigantic achievement,” Herbert Kickl, chief of Hofer’s election campaign, told Austrian broadcaster ORF. “Hofer managed to convince half of the population in defiance of the system.”
“We can see it this way: We are equal. There are two halves that make up Austria, and both are equally important.” Alexander Van der Bellen, new Austrian president
“Please don’t be despondent. The use for this campaign is not lost but an investment in the future.” Norbert Hofer, Austrian presidential candidate