The incumbent Austrian President casting a vote.
(Photo: IMAGO/SEPA.Media)
Vienna Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen remains in office without a runoff. According to the broadcaster ORF, the 78-year-old won an absolute majority of more than 55 percent of the votes in the first round of voting on Sunday. The margin of error was given as less than two percent. After that, a runoff election is no longer necessary. Van der Bellen’s closest competitor, right-wing populist FPÖ candidate Walter Rosenkranz, received around 18 percent.
According to pollsters, former Green Party leader Van der Bellen has been elected for a further six years. The fluctuation range of the extrapolation is too small to bring about a decisive change, it said.
During the election campaign, Van der Bellen presented himself as a safe choice in uncertain times. With the exception of the FPÖ, all important parties support him. If the former leader of the Austrian Greens had missed an absolute majority, a runoff against the runner-up on November 6 would have been necessary.
There were seven candidates in total. They included Dominik Wlazny, known as Marco Pogo, of the left-wing satirical Beer Party, as well as a number of right-wing suitors and conspiracy theory supporters. Almost 6.4 million people were entitled to vote.
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The 78-year-old Van der Bellen sees no problem at his fairly advanced age. The office gives him strength, he said when voting on Sunday. Van der Bellen had been directly and indirectly supported by all parliamentary parties except the right-wing FPÖ.
The conservative ÖVP and the social democratic SPÖ had refrained from nominating their own candidate. The reason was the fact that an election campaign against an incumbent is considered hopeless – and the parties prefer to save the money for it. The media criticized the fact that there were no women in the field of applicants.
More: Alexander Van der Bellen: Why the tamer of Austrian politics can hope to win the elections