For the second time in few months the head of the Greens Alexander Van der Bellen defeats far-right candidate Norbert Hofer.
The leader of the Greens Alexander Van der Bellen is Austria’s new president elected. The environmentalist defeated the candidate of the far-right party FPOE (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs) Norbert Hofer for the second time becoming the elected chief of the European country.
In the first presidential runoff between Van der Bellen and Hofer which was held on 22 May 2016 the leader of the Greens won. But the margin was just 31,000 votes. So Hofer filed a successful complaint to the Constitutional Court. Turnout was higher than in May: from 72.6 to 74.1 percent.
A few months later, the margin has clearly widened: Van der Bellen won with 53.6 percent of votes, even though the results are not yet definitive. But the advantage is enough to exclude a second round of voting. As a matter of fact, the FPOE admitted its defeat: “I congratulate Alexander Van der Bellen on his success”, FPOE Secretary General Herbert Kickl told the public television. Hofer said on Facebook that he was “incredibly sad”.
During his electoral campaign, Van der Bellen, 72, economist, former economics professor, asked Austrian voters to reject far-right proposals. Those who followed him in the months leading to the runoff know that Austria’s new president cares more about the contents of his proposals than about appearance. He has never tried to hide what he wanted to do with his austere behavior. And while Hofer felt comfortable with communication strategies, in Van der Bellen’s debates and political meetings there have often been long periods of silence.
He rejected the idea of closing borders to migrants proposing an open, multicultural society, also claiming that he’s son of refugees. His father was a Russian aristocrat, his mother was Estonian and they both escaped the 1917 revolution.
Another talked about issue by the Greens candidate was the role of Vienna in Europe: Hofer’s victory, he explained, would have led to isolation. “I’ve always stood up for – Van der Bellen told the public television – a pro-European Austria based on freedom, equality and solidarity”. The candidates fiercely argued about this issue. The newly-elected president once told Hofer: “I’m talking about Europe. E-u-r-o-p-e: never heard of it?”.
When the crowd gathered in Vienna’s Hofburg’s Palace came to know that the ecologist candidate’s advantage was so considerable, the place filled with joy. “We’re all relieved and grateful”, Director of Van der Bellen’s campaign Lothar Lockl said.
He was the leader of the Green Party until 2008, but he knew how to obtain votes from members of other parties who decided not to officially support him, like SPOE members. Van der Bellen was also voted by most of the country’s artists and intellectuals.
Siamo anche su WhatsApp. Segui il canale ufficiale LifeGate per restare aggiornata, aggiornato sulle ultime notizie e sulle nostre attività.
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.
Joe Biden breaks ahead. Sanders falls but stays in the race. Bloomberg is hanging by a thread. Warren is invisible. The final results of Super Tuesday, a key day in the Democratic primaries to choose the candidate for the the US presidential elections.
“Local leaders have to ensure that changes happen. Every action a city takes for climate has an impact on the whole world”. We interviewed Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul, about mayors’ key role in tackling the global climate crisis.
Il giudice Steven Reed è diventato sindaco della città del profondo Sud, culla del movimento per i diritti civili.
A successful day for Greens and nationalists, while traditional parties suffer. The outcome? A European Parliament divided into homogeneous “slices”. The final results of the European elections 2019.
From 23 to 26 May voting will take place in the European Elections 2019. Who can vote, who the candidates are and how to vote to elect the 751 representatives at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
After a series of diplomatic assignments, including with the United Nations, Sahle-Work Zewde has become the first female president of Ethiopia.
The House goes to the Democrats, the Senate remains Republican. But the midterm election results are positive especially for women. How the vote for Congress and 36 governors went.
In the midterm elections of the 6th of November, in 36 out of 50 United States a new governor was chosen on top the members of Congress. Here are all the results of the gubernatorial races.
The results of the midterm elections 2018 in the United States: the Democrats win the majority of seats in the House of Representatives, whilst the Senate remains in Republican hands. Follow the results live.
