STORY: Austria elects a new Federal President. In addition to the incumbent head of state, Alexander Van der Bellen, six other candidates are running, all of them men. The 78-year-old incumbent gets 51 to 58 percent of the votes in polls, making him the clear favorite. The former leader of the Greens hopes for an absolute majority to avoid a runoff. A question from voters in Vienna: “A Federal President in Austria is like what the Queen was for the English. He should be sovereign in small, everyday banter and we’ve had a lot of good people there. And I think you can in that respect just hope it keeps going.” “I want stability in these times and that’s why I think it’s very important. And I also believe and I hope for a very clear result.” “And in my opinion there is only one who doesn’t polarize, who doesn’t stir up, who doesn’t agitate, but has a calming effect, who has demeanor, who knows how to move on the international stage. And so, I would say, everything is said .” The conservative chancellor party ÖVP and most of the opposition parties have not put up any opposing candidates. Only the right-wing populist FPÖ has entered its own contender for the post, Walter Rosenkranz. He gets around 16 percent in polls, making him Van der Bellen’s biggest competitor. A total of 6.4 million citizens are invited to cast their vote. The first extrapolation will be published shortly after the last polling station closes at 5:00 p.m. (CEST).