presidential election
Austria: Van der Bellen weak in the boys
Alexander Van der Bellen, new old Federal President of Austria, in Vienna. photo
© Markus Schreiber/AP/dpa
Austria’s old and new head of state received many votes from older voters. Rock singer Dominik Wlazny scored among the boys.
Alexander Van der Bellen’s success in Austria’s presidential election also goes back to an influx of voters who voted for then-FPÖ candidate Norbert Hofer six years ago.
According to a voter analysis by the Institute for Electoral, Social and Methodological Research on Monday, almost one in five of these former right-wing voters voted for Van der Bellen this time. Only every third of the Hofer voters at the time made their cross with the FPÖ candidate Walter Rosenkranz on Sunday, it was said. In general, former Greens leader Van der Bellen was very popular with older voters, while receiving significantly less than 50 percent from under-30s.
Incumbent Van der Bellen scored a clear victory against six competitors on Sunday. After counting the postal votes on Monday, he won with a total of 56.69 percent of the valid votes, ahead of Rosencrantz with 17.68 percent. Dominik Wlazny landed a notable success with 8.31 percent. According to an analysis for the ATV broadcaster, the rock musician, who as head of the left-wing beer party has only been active in Vienna city politics, was supported by 20 percent of voters under the age of 30.
Runoff no longer necessary
Right-wing columnist Tassilo Wallentin was 8.07 percent on Sunday evening. The right-wing blogger Gerald Grosz got 5.57 percent, the candidate of the anti-vaccination party MFG, Michael Brunner, 2.11 percent. The left-alternative shoe manufacturer Heinrich Staudinger achieved 1.59 percent of the votes. Voter turnout was 65 percent.
Since the 78-year-old Van der Bellen achieved an absolute majority in the first ballot, a runoff between the top two is no longer necessary. Thus, on January 26, 2023, he will again be sworn in as Austria’s head of state. His term of office is six years.
Speaking to his jubilant supporters on Sunday night, Van der Bellen pointed out that the election had been closely watched across the borders. “This electoral success is also very, very well perceived by all of us at European level,” said the 78-year-old. While Van der Bellen is a big supporter of the EU, opponent Rosenkranz, like the FPÖ, generally took extremely skeptical positions. Rosencrantz campaigned for an end to EU sanctions against Russia.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomed Van der Bellen’s re-election with a view to cohesion in Europe during the Ukraine war. With him, Austria will keep “a Federal President who believes in our common Europe and who takes bold steps towards reconciliation and cooperation,” it said in a statement.