This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/dec/04/italian-referendum-and-austrian-presidential-election-live

The article has changed 41 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Far-right concedes defeat in Austrian presidential election – live Far-right concedes defeat in Austrian presidential election – live
(35 minutes later)
6.31pm GMT
18:31
The Conference of European Rabbis, which represent more than 700 leaders of mainstream synagogues across the continent, is delighted with the defeat of the far-right candidate in Austria’s presidential election.
Austria has just passed a difficult test. Let’s hope that the results in Austria will strengthen political forces in Europe which are committed to combat racism, antisemitism and xenophobia.
The Guardian published this article on Saturday on why the community was praying the Freedom party’s Norbert Hofer would fail to win the presidency.
6.22pm GMT
18:22
Fresh from Vienna, here’s Philip Oltermann’s more considered take on the unexpected outcome of Austria’s presidential election:
Austria on Sunday decisively rejected the possibility of European Union getting its first far-right head of state, instead electing a strongly pro-European former leader of the Green party as its next president.
Alexander Van der Bellen, who ran as an independent, managing to increase his lead over Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer by a considerable margin from the original vote in May, which was annulled by the constitutional vote due to sloppy voting.
The rightwing populist candidate for the Austrian presidency conceded his defeat within less than half an hour of the first exit polls, writing on Facebook: “I congratulate Alexander Van der Bellen for his success and ask all Austrians to pull together and work together.
The 45-year-old said he was “endlessly sad” and “would have liked to look after Austria”.
Freedom Party secretary Herbert Kickl, who has acted as Hofer’s campaign manager, said: “The bottom line is it didn’t quite work out. In this case the establishment - which pitched in once again to block, to stonewall and to prevent renewal - has won.”
Werner Kogler, a delegate for the Green Party, described the result as a “small global turning of the tide in these uncertain, not to say hysterical and even stupid times”.
You can read Philip’s full report here.
6.13pm GMT
18:13
Germany’s foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has reacted to the news that the left-leaning, Green-backed candidate Alexander Van der Bellen is on course for an unexpectedly comfortable win over his far-right rival Norbert Hofer in the Austrian presidential elections:
„The whole of #Europe has heaved a sigh of relief." FM #Steinmeier on the outcome of the Presidential election in #Austria. #bpw16 #bpwahl16
Updated
at 6.23pm GMT
6.09pm GMT
18:09
Angela Giuffrida is on the ground for the Guardian in Orvieto, where she interviewed Steve Brenner, an American expat with dual citizenship who owns a hotel in Rome and voted No in the referendum because he is not convinced the reforms would actually create a more efficient, cheaper, and smaller government, as the Yes camp has said.
Italy, from what I understand, does not have a problem with the number of laws it passes. It has a problem with enforcing them. It has a problem with the judiciary and executive process. As for stability, the biggest problem for me in Italy is a lack of faith in government. That undermines everything and it’s what makes governments unstable.
Voting is underway in Orvieto, Umbria. #ItalyReferendum pic.twitter.com/BAzw3PXZjY
6.06pm GMT
18:06
Back to Italy, where voters are still casting their ballots in the country’s referendum on proposed constitutional reforms.
Polls close at 11pm local time (10pm GMT). Exit polls – not very reliable, particularly early on in the evening – will be announced on Italian television as soon as polls close, with the first projections based on actual votes counted starting to appear from around 11.30pm.
Those projections are then more or less every half hour, becoming steadily more accurate as the night wears on. If the result is clear-cut, the winner could be known by around midnight – if not, the result may come as late as 3am.
5.57pm GMT5.57pm GMT
17:5717:57
A reader, Heather Hampson, has asked about the Guardian’s use of the terms “far right” and “alt-right” – which some see as a term that sanitises the movement it describes – and how we distinguish the two.A reader, Heather Hampson, has asked about the Guardian’s use of the terms “far right” and “alt-right” – which some see as a term that sanitises the movement it describes – and how we distinguish the two.
As it happens, our style team published its guidance on just this subject, along with an explanation for it, last week. Essentially, the Guardian has not banned the use of “alt-right” because it exists as a term that is used in the world, particularly in the US, and “it is the media’s job to describe and reflect the world as it is.”As it happens, our style team published its guidance on just this subject, along with an explanation for it, last week. Essentially, the Guardian has not banned the use of “alt-right” because it exists as a term that is used in the world, particularly in the US, and “it is the media’s job to describe and reflect the world as it is.”
But it also believes the media should describe and reflect that world – including the “alt-right” – accurately. So this is the style team’s guidance:But it also believes the media should describe and reflect that world – including the “alt-right” – accurately. So this is the style team’s guidance:
alt-right: Use once, with a hyphen and in quotes, at first mention, followed by the brief but broad description of it being a far-right movement. Prefer far right (noun) or far-right (adjective) at any subsequent mention.alt-right: Use once, with a hyphen and in quotes, at first mention, followed by the brief but broad description of it being a far-right movement. Prefer far right (noun) or far-right (adjective) at any subsequent mention.
More specific descriptions can be used where relevant when mentioning individuals associated with the movement, but such descriptions should be evidence-based.More specific descriptions can be used where relevant when mentioning individuals associated with the movement, but such descriptions should be evidence-based.
5.46pm GMT5.46pm GMT
17:4617:46
Alexander Van der Bellen’s provisional victory in Austria’s presidential election has been enthusiastically welcomed across the border in neighbouring Germany, which faces key elections of its own before next autumn.Alexander Van der Bellen’s provisional victory in Austria’s presidential election has been enthusiastically welcomed across the border in neighbouring Germany, which faces key elections of its own before next autumn.
Vice chancellor Sigmar Gabriel of the centre-left Social Democrats told Bild newspaper:Vice chancellor Sigmar Gabriel of the centre-left Social Democrats told Bild newspaper:
A load has been taken off the mind of all of Europe. This is a clear victory for good sense against right-wing populism.A load has been taken off the mind of all of Europe. This is a clear victory for good sense against right-wing populism.
Manfred Weber, the influential head of the main centre-right group in the European parliament, tweeted:Manfred Weber, the influential head of the main centre-right group in the European parliament, tweeted:
Austrians are sending a clear pro European signal. The right wing populists' celebration is cancelled for now. #Austria #bpw16 1/2Austrians are sending a clear pro European signal. The right wing populists' celebration is cancelled for now. #Austria #bpw16 1/2
and then added:and then added:
FPÖ attempt to score with campaigns of fear and lies has failed. We have to fight populists and expose them! #bpw16 2/2FPÖ attempt to score with campaigns of fear and lies has failed. We have to fight populists and expose them! #bpw16 2/2
Ulrich Kelber, another Social Democrat, suggested that Donald Trump’s election may have been a turning point and “the liberal majority pushes back”, while the Germany Greens leader, Simone Peter, said it was a “good day for Austria and Europe. The right-wing rabble-rousers have to be stopped!”Ulrich Kelber, another Social Democrat, suggested that Donald Trump’s election may have been a turning point and “the liberal majority pushes back”, while the Germany Greens leader, Simone Peter, said it was a “good day for Austria and Europe. The right-wing rabble-rousers have to be stopped!”
Super! Riesenfreude! Klarer Vorsprung für Sascha @vanderbellen. Ein guter Tag für Österreich u. Europa. Die rechten Hetzer sind zu stoppen! https://t.co/eUUtivih41Super! Riesenfreude! Klarer Vorsprung für Sascha @vanderbellen. Ein guter Tag für Österreich u. Europa. Die rechten Hetzer sind zu stoppen! https://t.co/eUUtivih41
5.32pm GMT5.32pm GMT
17:3217:32
In Italy, Stephanie Kirchgaessner has details of an embarrassing moment for prime minister Matteo Renzi as he cast his ballot in today’s referendum on constitutional reforms.In Italy, Stephanie Kirchgaessner has details of an embarrassing moment for prime minister Matteo Renzi as he cast his ballot in today’s referendum on constitutional reforms.
There’s pretty high level scrutiny for voters in Italy. You have to show identification and a voter registration card, which gets stamped once you have cast your ballot. Footage taken of prime minister Matteo Renzi shows he forgot to bring his ID, but poll workers let it go.There’s pretty high level scrutiny for voters in Italy. You have to show identification and a voter registration card, which gets stamped once you have cast your ballot. Footage taken of prime minister Matteo Renzi shows he forgot to bring his ID, but poll workers let it go.
Why do Italians fume that the rules don't apply to politicians? @MatteoRenzi does not bring ID to voting booth https://t.co/jUvD46qgkOWhy do Italians fume that the rules don't apply to politicians? @MatteoRenzi does not bring ID to voting booth https://t.co/jUvD46qgkO
5.29pm GMT5.29pm GMT
17:2917:29
Norbert Hofer has posted on his Facebook page, thanking his supporters and congratulating Van der Bellen. Here’s a (rough) translation:Norbert Hofer has posted on his Facebook page, thanking his supporters and congratulating Van der Bellen. Here’s a (rough) translation:
Dear friends,Dear friends,
I would like to thank you. You have given me such great support, and I am incredibly sad that it didn’t work out. I would have liked to watch over our Austria.I would like to thank you. You have given me such great support, and I am incredibly sad that it didn’t work out. I would have liked to watch over our Austria.
I congratulate Alexander Van der Bellen on his success and ask all Austrians to stick together and to work together. We are all, equally, Austrians, no matter how we voted at the ballot box.I congratulate Alexander Van der Bellen on his success and ask all Austrians to stick together and to work together. We are all, equally, Austrians, no matter how we voted at the ballot box.
5.20pm GMT5.20pm GMT
17:2017:20
Der Spiegel’s deputy foreign editor, Mathieu van Rohr, predicts the scale of left-wing candidate Alexander Van der Bellen’s win in Austria.Der Spiegel’s deputy foreign editor, Mathieu van Rohr, predicts the scale of left-wing candidate Alexander Van der Bellen’s win in Austria.
That’s quite a swing, and it is at least possible that part of it may be down to voters’ uncertainty following the shock results of the Brexit referendum vote and Trump’s US presidential victory.That’s quite a swing, and it is at least possible that part of it may be down to voters’ uncertainty following the shock results of the Brexit referendum vote and Trump’s US presidential victory.
Van der Bellen was up by only 30.000 votes in May, will be up by 300.000 votes this time. https://t.co/bN93eMMDk6Van der Bellen was up by only 30.000 votes in May, will be up by 300.000 votes this time. https://t.co/bN93eMMDk6
5.09pm GMT5.09pm GMT
17:0917:09
The defeat of far-right candidate Norbert Hofer to the liberal, left-of-centre Alexander Van der Bellen in Austria’s presidential elections marks a setback for the Eurosceptic, anti-establishment cause in Europe.The defeat of far-right candidate Norbert Hofer to the liberal, left-of-centre Alexander Van der Bellen in Austria’s presidential elections marks a setback for the Eurosceptic, anti-establishment cause in Europe.
After Britain’s shock vote to leave the EU and Donald Trump’s unexpected win in the US, insurgents across the continent, including Geert Wilders of the Dutch Freedom party and Marine Le Pen of France’s Front national, hailed upsets that, in Le Pen’s words, “made the impossible possible”.After Britain’s shock vote to leave the EU and Donald Trump’s unexpected win in the US, insurgents across the continent, including Geert Wilders of the Dutch Freedom party and Marine Le Pen of France’s Front national, hailed upsets that, in Le Pen’s words, “made the impossible possible”.
Today’s Austrian vote was seen as the first in a strong of upcoming tests for Europe, with a victory for Hofer likely to further embolden the populists in potentially pivotal presidential and parliamentary elections due in the Netherlands, France and Germany over the course of 12 months.Today’s Austrian vote was seen as the first in a strong of upcoming tests for Europe, with a victory for Hofer likely to further embolden the populists in potentially pivotal presidential and parliamentary elections due in the Netherlands, France and Germany over the course of 12 months.
For a more in-depth overview of what could still turn out to be a critical year for the future of the European project in its current form, you can have a look at my analysis of the issues facing the bloc, which was published yesterday.For a more in-depth overview of what could still turn out to be a critical year for the future of the European project in its current form, you can have a look at my analysis of the issues facing the bloc, which was published yesterday.
UpdatedUpdated
at 5.36pm GMTat 5.36pm GMT
4.52pm GMT
16:52
Back to Italy now, after that unexpected early result from Austria.
Stephanie Kirchgaessner reports that a no vote there will be seen as a huge rebuke of Renzi and a big win for M5S, which has already said it would call for immediate elections if their side wins.
The conventional wisdom is that Italy is facing a populist backlash much like Brexit in the UK and Donald Trump’s victory in the US. This view is not wrong, but there are many voters who will vote against the reform who are not necessarily fans of Five Star-founder Beppe Grillo or the Northern League’s Matteo Salvini.
Renzi has a fair share of critics on the left, and many are simply unhappy with the proposed constitutional changes. But that does not mean they would support M5S or the far-right Northern League in a national election. A yes vote would mark a really stunning turnaround for Renzi, considering how much opposition he was up against heading into the race.
Updated
at 4.52pm GMT
4.45pm GMT
16:45
Far right concedes defeat in Austrian presidential election
The far-right Austrian presidential candidate Norbert Hofer’s campaign manager, Herbert Kickl, has conceded his candidate’s defeat to former Greens leader Alexander Van der Bellen, Reuters reports.
Kickl told the state broadcaster:
The bottom line is it didn’t quite work out. In this case the establishment - which pitched in once again to block, to stonewall and to prevent renewal - has won.
Updated
at 4.45pm GMT
4.40pm GMT
16:40
If confirmed, the margin of Van der Bellen’s forecast win over Hofer in Austria is a major surprise.
Polls in the run-up to the vote had the two candidates neck-and-neck, with several putting the far-right Freedom party’s Hofer ahead. But the first official results, released minutes ago, show the independent with 53.5% of the vote, with Hofer 46.4%.
Interior ministry officials have told the Associated Press that votes obviously continue to be counted and the percentages are therefore almost certain to vary, but the outcome is now unlikely to change.
4.32pm GMT
16:32
Hofer’s campaign manager appears to confirm the early exit poll trend, telling state broadcaster ORF that Van der Bellen has won, Reuter’s reports.
4.27pm GMT
16:27
Austrian state broadcaster: exit polls suggest win for Van der Bellen
Philip Oltermann in Vienna reports that early exit polls indicate Austria has voted in Green-backed candidate Alexander Van der Bellen as its next president, handing a painful defeat to rightwing populist Norbert Hofer.
According to public broadcaster ORF, Alexander Van der Bellen had gained 53.6% of the vote with 58% of voting districts counted – too strong a lead to be turned around for Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer, who had only gained 46.6% of the vote. The margin of error is around 1.2%, which accounts for the optimism now coming form the Van der Bellen camp.
With officials under clear instructions not to cut any corners to avoid another embarrassing recount, many experts have suggested a definitive result may not emerged until Monday, Tuesday, or possibly even Wednesday.
The Freedom Party candidate and his wife Verena Hofer cast their votes in his hometown of Pinkafeld in Burgenland, the easternmost and least populous region of Austria. “I am calm and confident”, he told the press outside the voting booth.
Van der Bellen and his wife Doris Schmidauer voted at around 11 am at a school in Vienna’s Mariahilf district, telling journalists that he did not expect a clear result until Monday.
4.21pm GMT
16:21
Stephanie Kirchgaessner reports that there is already one alleged voting irregularity getting a good deal of attention in Italy today:
We can call it Pencilgate. The Tuscan singer PieTro Pelù claimed in a complaint that has circulated online that was given a pencil at the polls that was erasable. In comment on social media, some responded by saying that the pencil was indeed indelible on the section of the ballot where people actually vote, but not on normal paper.
A voter has complained that the pencil used on the ballot was erasable, causing stir https://t.co/EjTD4eGeUm via @repubblicait
4.16pm GMT
16:16
In Austria, reports Philip Oltermann, polling booths have now closed and the first region has been counted.
Only anecdotal evidence so far, but the first two districts that were 50/50 in May now show a lead for Van der Bellen. The first projections will be without the capital, Vienna, so could well show Hofer in the lead. The first Vienna districts will be coming through at about 6pm local time.
4.08pm GMT
16:08
In Italy, writes the Guardian’s Rome correspondent Stephanie Kirchgaessner, there are still many hours to go before voters will know the outcome of today’s referendum.
Polls close at 11pm local time, but we’re not likely to know the results for a while later and exit polls are not considered to be especially reliable. Official voter turnout figures released at noon, which will be updated at 7pm, show relatively high turnout in northern and central Italy, and low turnout in the south. That may favour Renzi and the yes camp, but it’s difficult to draw too many conclusions. It looks like pro-Renzi Florence and the area around Bologna had a high turnout in the morning, but so did strongholds of the rightwing Northern League, which supports the no vote.
Unclear whether high turnout will benefit most the Yes or No. Final turnout likely above 50%. No quorum #italyreferendum
Updated
at 4.11pm GMT
4.02pm GMT
16:02
A brief guide, first, to who’s who and what’s what in the presidential election in Austria, where polls have just closed.
The candidates: Hofer, a 45-year old engineer who has risen through the ranks of his Eurosceptic, anti-immigrant Freedom party. A smooth talker with a ready smile, he changes his style, tone and the contents of his message depending on his audience. Van der Bellen is a former economics professor, running as an independent but backed by the Greens. He’s strongly supportive of the EU, is in favour of liberal migration policies, and often sounds the alarm against what he sees as Europe’s rightward drift
The issues: Essentially, Austria’s political direction. The president’s role islargely ceremonial, but a win for Hofer would signal a lurch to the right for the country and a symbolic blow to the European project. A victory for Van der Bellen would hearten pro-EU and anti-nationalist leaders.
Why now? The race was supposed to be won in May, when Van der Bellen defeated Hofer by less than a point, but the Freedom Party contested the result and on July 1 Austria’s constitutional Court ruled the elections had to be re-run. An earlier date in October was pushed back to today after problems with the envelopes on some postal ballots, which wouldn’t seal.
Who can vote and when will we know the results? About 6.4 million voters over 16 can vote. Early results issued by the interior ministry should be available about an hour after polls close, with as-good-as-final results out by late evening – although if the race is very close, postal ballots will count and a final result might not be known bfore Monday or even Tuesday.
3.45pm GMT
15:45
Good afternoon and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of what could prove a pivotal day in European politics.
Polls are about to close in Austria, where voters are choosing a new president who, surveys predict, could be the first freely-elected far-right leader of a western European country since the second world war.
In Italy, meanwhile, the prime minister, Matteo Renzi, has staked his political future on a constitutional reform referendum that he looks set to lose, potentially opening a path to power for the anti-establishment, anti-euro Five Star Movement.
Norbert Hofer, whose far-right, anti-immigrant Freedom party was founded by a former SS officer, and Alexander Van der Bellen, the son of Estonian refugees who is backed by the Green party, are re-running their contest of last May.
Austria’s constitutional court overturned the result of that, which Van der Bellen won by the narrowest of margins, due to irregularities in the processing of the postal vote. Recent polls suggest this time Hofer may have the edge.
In Italy, voters are giving their verdict on a raft of changes to the political system that will – Renzi argues – streamline the decision-making process by reducing the power of the senate. It’s all quite complicated, but what matters is that the prime minister has said he will resign if he loses.
That raises the prospect – though by no means the certainty – of political and economic instability and early elections that Beppe Grillo’s unpredictable, populist M5S could win, a prospect that alarms many in Italy and beyond even if the chances of it actually forming a government are not great.
But while the actual consequences are far from clear, after the UK’s shock Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s upset win in the US presidential election, victory for Hofer and defeat for Renzi would at the very least mark two more big steps forward for the anti-establishment, nation-first parties challenging the political mainstream across Europe.
And with pivotal elections – and populist, Eurosceptic advances, perhaps triumphs – coming up next year in several EU member states including the Netherlands, France and Germany, there is a real chance that historians will look back on tonight’s events as the beginning of the end of the European project in its current form.
The Guardian’s Berlin bureau chief, Philip Oltermann, and Italy correspondent, Stephanie Kirchgaessner, are in Vienna and Rome and will be contributing their insights throughout what could well be a long evening.
Feel free to email or tweet me with comments and suggestions: jon.henley@theguardian.com or @jonhenley
Updated
at 4.11pm GMT