Vienna: Austrian President alexander van der belen He secured a second six-year term in office on Sunday by securing a clear majority in the election to avoid a runoff, according to estimates based on partial vote counts.
The 78-year-old former leader of the Greens has gained widespread popularity by projecting peace in times of national crisis, including the fall of the government in 2019 and the resignation of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz a year ago over corruption charges, Kurz denies.
The far-right Freedom Party (FPO) was the only party in parliament to field a candidate against Van der Belen, who won a very tough race in 2016 against an FPO rival. Grandies from all other parties in Parliament supported the President.
A projection by pollster Sora for national broadcaster ORF, based on a partial count of 83% of the votes cast on Sunday, placed van der Belen at 56.2% with a margin of error of 1.4 percentage points. His closest rival was the Freedom Party. Walter Rosencranzo at 17.8%.
“Alexander Van der Belen really managed to make sure in the first round that he will be the next president. I congratulate him for that,” rosencranzo told to ORF
Estimates for election night in Austria, released after voting ends and based on counting polling stations that close earlier in the day, have proven reliable in the past. The last polling stations to be closed include the cities of Vienna and Innsbruck.
A separate projection by ARGE Wahlen for the national news agency APA put van der Belen at 56.3% and Rosenkranz at 17.6%, based on a 71% vote count cast on Sunday.
Postal ballots will be counted on Monday but estimates are for the results as a whole, including postal ballots.
The Austrian president plays a largely ceremonial role, but he also has wide-ranging powers, which means overseeing periods of transition and unrest. The president is the commander in chief of the military and can dismiss the entire government or the chancellor.
The 78-year-old former leader of the Greens has gained widespread popularity by projecting peace in times of national crisis, including the fall of the government in 2019 and the resignation of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz a year ago over corruption charges, Kurz denies.
The far-right Freedom Party (FPO) was the only party in parliament to field a candidate against Van der Belen, who won a very tough race in 2016 against an FPO rival. Grandies from all other parties in Parliament supported the President.
A projection by pollster Sora for national broadcaster ORF, based on a partial count of 83% of the votes cast on Sunday, placed van der Belen at 56.2% with a margin of error of 1.4 percentage points. His closest rival was the Freedom Party. Walter Rosencranzo at 17.8%.
“Alexander Van der Belen really managed to make sure in the first round that he will be the next president. I congratulate him for that,” rosencranzo told to ORF
Estimates for election night in Austria, released after voting ends and based on counting polling stations that close earlier in the day, have proven reliable in the past. The last polling stations to be closed include the cities of Vienna and Innsbruck.
A separate projection by ARGE Wahlen for the national news agency APA put van der Belen at 56.3% and Rosenkranz at 17.6%, based on a 71% vote count cast on Sunday.
Postal ballots will be counted on Monday but estimates are for the results as a whole, including postal ballots.
The Austrian president plays a largely ceremonial role, but he also has wide-ranging powers, which means overseeing periods of transition and unrest. The president is the commander in chief of the military and can dismiss the entire government or the chancellor.