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| Austrian far-right party wins first round of presidential election | Austrian far-right party wins first round of presidential election |
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| Austria’s anti-immigration far right has triumphed in the first round of the presidential election, with candidates from the two governing parties failing to even make it into a runoff vote next month. | |
| Norbert Hofer of the Freedom party (FPOe) won 36.7% of the vote, followed by Alexander Van der Bellen backed by the Greens on 19.7% and independent candidate Irmgard Griss on 18.8%, projections showed. | Norbert Hofer of the Freedom party (FPOe) won 36.7% of the vote, followed by Alexander Van der Bellen backed by the Greens on 19.7% and independent candidate Irmgard Griss on 18.8%, projections showed. |
| From the governing coalition, Rudolf Hundstorfer from the Social Democrats (SPOe) came joint fourth with just 11.2%, level with Andreas Khol from the People’s party (OeVP). | From the governing coalition, Rudolf Hundstorfer from the Social Democrats (SPOe) came joint fourth with just 11.2%, level with Andreas Khol from the People’s party (OeVP). |
| The result means that, for the first time since 1945, Austria will not have a president backed by either the SPOe or OeVP. | |
| Support for the two parties has been sliding for years and in the last general election in 2013 they only just garnered enough support to re-form Chancellor Werner Faymann’s grand coalition. | Support for the two parties has been sliding for years and in the last general election in 2013 they only just garnered enough support to re-form Chancellor Werner Faymann’s grand coalition. |
| It was the best ever result at federal level for the FPOe, whose entry into government in 2000 under the late SS-admiring Jörg Haider sent shockwaves through Europe. | |
| Facing Hofer on 22 May will instead be either Van der Bellen or Griss, a former judge hoping to be Austria’s first female president. | |
| Having a president in the Habsburg dynasty’s former palace in Vienna not from either of the two main parties could shake up the traditionally staid and consensus-driven world of Austrian politics. | Having a president in the Habsburg dynasty’s former palace in Vienna not from either of the two main parties could shake up the traditionally staid and consensus-driven world of Austrian politics. |
| Hofer – the “friendly face of the FPOe” who likes to carry his Glock gun in public – has threatened to sack the government if it fails to get tougher on migrants. | Hofer – the “friendly face of the FPOe” who likes to carry his Glock gun in public – has threatened to sack the government if it fails to get tougher on migrants. |
| The only candidate who fared worse than the main parties’ candidates was Richard Lugner, an 83-year-old construction magnate and socialite married to a former Playboy model 57 years his junior, who won 2.4%. | The only candidate who fared worse than the main parties’ candidates was Richard Lugner, an 83-year-old construction magnate and socialite married to a former Playboy model 57 years his junior, who won 2.4%. |
| The next general election is due in 2018. The FPOe is currently leading national opinion polls with more than 30% of voter support, boosted by Europe’s migrant crisis. | The next general election is due in 2018. The FPOe is currently leading national opinion polls with more than 30% of voter support, boosted by Europe’s migrant crisis. |