Exit polls in the Austrian presidential election show former Green Party leader Alexander Van der Bellen has won with 53.3 percent of the vote. Right-wing candidate Norbert Hofer has acknowledged defeat.
Image: Reuters/L. Foeger
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Van der Bellen wins Austrian election
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According to an exit poll conducted by broadcaster ORF on Sunday, independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen has been elected Austria's next president after winning 53.3 percent of the vote.
"From the start, I have always fought and argued in favor of an Austria that is pro-European," Van der Bellen said on public television.
Right-wing candidate Norbert Hofer conceded defeat after garnering 46.7 percent of the electorate, confirming he would not challenge the result. Reacting to the result on Facebook, Hofer said he was "infinitely upset."
"I would have liked to take care of our Austria," Hofer wrote.
Van der Bellen's victory on Sunday comes as a blow to Europe's right-wing populist movements, which were anticipating a boost ahead of next year's elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands.
Christian Kern, Austria's chancellor and a Social Democrat, congratulated Van der Bellen shortly after the exit poll was announced.
"I see a good day for Austria," Kern wrote on Twitter. "Now to jointly ensure that no one sees himself as a loser."
International approval
In neighboring Germany, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel also congratulated Van der Bellen, saying that a "huge weight had been lifted off of Europe."
"Should the forecast be confirmed, the result of the Austrian election will be a clear victory of reason against right-wing populism," the Social Democrat told German newspaper "Bild."
French President Francois Hollande hailed the news, saying "the Austrian people have chosen Europe and open-mindedness," while Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called Van der Bellen's victory "a breath of fresh air in times when Europe is threatened by the rise of the far right."
European Parliament President Martin Schulz joined the international chorus of relief, calling the Austrian election "a heavy defeat of nationalism and anti-European, backward-looking populism."
Pro-European liberal
Van der Bellen had the backing of Austria's Green Party, but ran as an independent in Sunday's election.
Though disappointed, Hofer said he would not challenge the resultImage: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Bruna
A pro-European liberal, the 72-year-old aspires to a fence-free "United States of Europe" and is a supporter of gay marriage.
During the bitter 11-month campaign, he won the support of many young Austrians and celebrities, calling for the country to be guided by "reason not extremes."
The first exit poll indicated a 3.6 percent increase in support for Van der Bellen, who narrowly won the original runoff election in May - less than 31,000 votes ahead of Hofer.
A successful appeal by Hofer's euroskeptic and anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPÖ), however, meant that results were annulled.
A look at Austria's never-ending election
Austrians hope to finally find a new president this Sunday. After irregularities in ballot counting, faulty envelopes and the country's longest-ever campaign, Austria's presidential race has turned into a marathon.
Image: Reuters/L. Foeger
How it all started
The presidency, which is a largely ceremonial post, has always gone to the ruling Social Democrats and the conservative People's Party since 1945. This year however, voters discharged the coalition's candidates and instead voted for Norbert Hofer of the anti-immigration Freedom Party. The only person blocking his path was ex-Green party chief Alexander Van der Bellen.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Wieser
Hofer's friendly face
Described as the Freedom Party's "friendly face," the self-proclaimed political gladiator pushes tricky subjects like anti-immigration with a winning smile instead of the provocative rhetoric of party chief Heinz-Christian Strache.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Bruna
Left-wing independent candidate Van der Bellen
Born in Vienna to an aristocratic Russian father and an Estonian mother who fled Stalinism, Van der Bellen joined the Greens in the 1990s and led them to achieve record results as party leader for a decade. In a bid to attract young voters, he tried to be Austria's - that is to say, Österreich's Obama. Or rather, "Öbama."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Bruna
Bickering opponents
Van der Bellen's trademark professorial manner has often riled Hofer.
"I'm talking about Europe: E-U-R-O-P-E. Ever heard of it?" Van der Bellen jibed his rival during a TV encounter earlier this year. "My God, so schoolmasterly, Herr Doctor Van der Bellen," a furious Hofer snapped back.
Image: Reuters/L. Foeger
Austrian glitterati
Van der Bellen's huge backing from celebrities and the country's top politicians has left his rival unimpressed. "You have the glitterati, but I have the people," the far-right politician observed.
Image: picture alliance/APA/G. Hochmuth
May 22: Election day
In the evening Hofer and Strache cheer. Hofer has just won the tense run-off, projections showed. But over the next 24 hours, his hopes will be crushed.
Image: picture-alliance/A. Halada
Liberal Vienna acclaims Van der Bellen's victory
The postal votes, traditionally tallied the day after the polling station count, gradually swung the outcome in Van der Bellen's favor. In the end, the 72-year-old economics professor beat his rival by just over 31,000 votes. "I want to be a nonpartisan president for all the people in Austria," the new president-elect vowed.
Image: picture-alliance/G. Hochmuth
Re-run for early October
Hofer's party, the FPÖ, filed a legal challenge in June against the result over alleged procedural problems discovered in numerous constituencies. Reported breaches included postal votes being opened too early, as well as "non-Austrians" casting ballots. Siding with the FPÖ, the Constitutional Court annulled the May result and ordered a re-run for early October.
Image: DW/M. Hengster
One more time
Van der Bellen took the news in stride, marching through crowds of supporters to Daft Punk's tune "One more time."
Image: Getty images/AFP/R. Schlager
Faulty envelopes lead to further delay
The election might not have been delayed had the voter Beate Rhomberg not brought the problem of faulty envelopes to the attention of her local paper. The paper's subsequent report led to a storm of complaints over voters' envelopes coming unstuck. Van der Bellen suggested that the glue was a metaphor for bigger problems in Austria, saying "What we need most of all is for us to stick together."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Hochmuth
Öxit, Austria's EU exit on the table
Whereas Van der Bellen is against Austria's exit from the EU, Hofer's Freedom Party has been campaigning against further European integration since 2005. The party reacted positively to Britain's Brexit and proclaimed Austria should start a renegotiation over the country’s relationship with the EU.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/C.Bruna
Will the vote be final this time?
To be on the safe side, parliament has scheduled the swearing-in for late January to give authorities sufficient time to investigate any potential issues.
