Austria, affluent and one of Europe’s most politically stable countries, votes on Dec. 4 for a new president in an election that could have far-reaching implications for the continent’s politics. The vote is a re-run of a previous poll in May when Alexander Van der Bellen, a Green politician who ran as an independent, narrowly defeated Norbert Hofer, candidate of the populist, far-right Freedom party. With just over 30,000 votes separating the two men six months ago, opinion pollsters believe this weekend’s contest is too close to predict.
Why does Austria’s presidential election matter to the world?
The vote is a test of support for European rightwing nationalism in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as US president. If he wins, Mr Hofer would be the first far-right head of state in western Europe since the second world war. A strong vote could also foreshadow the Freedom party becoming the largest grouping after parliamentary elections due by September 2018 at the latest, giving it a lead role in a new Austrian government.
