VAN DER BELLEN LEADS: The far-right admits defeat in the Austrian election
Leonhard Foeger/Reuters
Van der Bellen (left) and Hofer.
Van der Bellen has a clear lead in Austria's presidential election, projections showed on Sunday after polls closed, dealing a blow to his rival's bid to become the first freely elected far-right head of state in Europe since World War Two.
"The bottom line is it didn't quite work out," Herbert Kickl told broadcaster ORF as initial projections showed Van der Bellen leading with a score of around 54 percent to Hofer's 46 percent.
"In this case the establishment - which pitched in once again to block, to stonewall and to prevent renewal - has won," he said.
If confirmed, the re-run result will be a relief for Europe's political establishment and a vindication for former Greens leader Alexander Van der Bellen, who narrowly defeated Norbert Hofer of the anti-immigration Freedom Party in the original runoff in May, before the re-run was ordered.
The election is a prime example of how volatile the political climate is in many western democracies with right now, with two candidates from completely opposite ends of the political spectrum vying to be elected Austrian president.
(Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Michael Shields)
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