Aged 78, the Austrian President, whose function is essentially ceremonial, is supported by a broad spectrum of the political class.
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It is considered a symbol of stability to face inflation, the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine. The outgoing Austrian president, the ecologist Alexander Van der Bellen, was re-elected on Sunday, October 9, according to initial projections published at the close of the ballot. Aged 78 and supported by a broad spectrum of the political class, he would win in the first round with 54.6% of the vote, far ahead of the other six candidates. The official result should not be known until Monday.
The far-right FPÖ party, which almost won against Alexander Van der Bellen in 2016 and dreamed of revenge this year, approached the ballot with a little-known candidate, Walter Rosenkranz, 60. But corruption cases have caused the famous Austrian far right to lose ground, whose candidate obtained 18.9% of the vote on Sunday, according to initial projections.
Six years ago, the FPÖ, founded by former Nazis, was the first in Europe to come close to victory in a presidential election. Lhe party then entered government by forming a coalition with the Conservatives, before leaving power in 2019. Faced with this turmoil and the succession of chancellorsAlexander Van der Bellen, whose function is essentially ceremonial, guaranteed the continuity of the state.