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| Austria's far right cries foul after presidential election defeat | Austria's far right cries foul after presidential election defeat |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Austria’s Freedom party has cried foul over the narrow result in the country’s presidential election, as the rightwing, populist party set its sight on the 2018 general election. | Austria’s Freedom party has cried foul over the narrow result in the country’s presidential election, as the rightwing, populist party set its sight on the 2018 general election. |
| Even before it emerged that the Freedom party (FPÖ) candidate, Norbert Hofer, had lost out on the presidency due to a strong performance in the postal vote by his rival, Alexander Van der Bellen, the party’s secretary, Herbert Kickl, had said that absentee votes had in the past shown up “inconsistencies”. | Even before it emerged that the Freedom party (FPÖ) candidate, Norbert Hofer, had lost out on the presidency due to a strong performance in the postal vote by his rival, Alexander Van der Bellen, the party’s secretary, Herbert Kickl, had said that absentee votes had in the past shown up “inconsistencies”. |
| Related: The far right’s narrow defeat in Austria should be a wake-up call for Europe | Owen Jones | |
| “Accomplices of the current political system could potentially use the opportunity to adjust the result in favour of the system’s representative, Alexander Van der Bellen,” Kickl said. | “Accomplices of the current political system could potentially use the opportunity to adjust the result in favour of the system’s representative, Alexander Van der Bellen,” Kickl said. |
| On his Facebook page, the party leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, seized on irregularities in Linz and Waidhofen, where the final result announced a voter turnout of 146.9%. The interior ministry said the figure was the result of a data entry error. | On his Facebook page, the party leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, seized on irregularities in Linz and Waidhofen, where the final result announced a voter turnout of 146.9%. The interior ministry said the figure was the result of a data entry error. |
| Hofer, whose election would have confronted the European Union with a far-right president for the first time, said on Sunday night that there was “something a little bit strange in the way the postal vote is counted”. | Hofer, whose election would have confronted the European Union with a far-right president for the first time, said on Sunday night that there was “something a little bit strange in the way the postal vote is counted”. |
| The Freedom party, whose 49.7% in the final result represents a huge shift in Austria’s political landscape, will now set its sight on the next general election, which must be held before September 2018. | The Freedom party, whose 49.7% in the final result represents a huge shift in Austria’s political landscape, will now set its sight on the next general election, which must be held before September 2018. |
| A poll by ATV institute published over the weekend shows the FPÖ leading on 34%, ahead of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPÖ) on 26%, the centre-right People’s party on 18% and the Greens on 13%. | A poll by ATV institute published over the weekend shows the FPÖ leading on 34%, ahead of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPÖ) on 26%, the centre-right People’s party on 18% and the Greens on 13%. |
| Related: The Guardian view on the Austrian presidential elections: disaster narrowly averted | Editorial | Related: The Guardian view on the Austrian presidential elections: disaster narrowly averted | Editorial |
| The FPÖ appeared to lose momentum after the resignation of the SPÖ chancellor, Werner Faymann, on 9 May, shedding five points, while the SPÖ gained eight percentage points under its new chancellor, Christian Kern. | The FPÖ appeared to lose momentum after the resignation of the SPÖ chancellor, Werner Faymann, on 9 May, shedding five points, while the SPÖ gained eight percentage points under its new chancellor, Christian Kern. |
| Van der Bellen said the outcome of the presidential election showed that the country was made up of two equally important halves, which “together make up this beautiful Austria”. | Van der Bellen said the outcome of the presidential election showed that the country was made up of two equally important halves, which “together make up this beautiful Austria”. |
| The new president’s conciliatory language contrasted with a statement made earlier this year, when he said that if elected president, he would not swear in a new chancellor who wanted to “destroy a united Europe”, such as the FPÖ’s Strache, and that he would consider dissolving parliament and calling for new elections instead. | The new president’s conciliatory language contrasted with a statement made earlier this year, when he said that if elected president, he would not swear in a new chancellor who wanted to “destroy a united Europe”, such as the FPÖ’s Strache, and that he would consider dissolving parliament and calling for new elections instead. |