For the first time since World War II ended, neither of Austria’s two leading centrist parties will provide the country’s head of state. Instead, Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer – a far-right candidate – could win the position in a close race.

Austrian voters headed to the polls Sunday to cast ballots in a runoff election that pits Hofer against the Green Party-backed economics professor Alexander Van der Bellen after Hofer unexpectedly won the first round with 35 percent of the vote.

Those results signaled a major shift in Austrian politics in an election that has been defined by the ongoing migrant crisis in Europe. Hofer has run an openly anti-immigrant, anti-European Union campaign fueled by his populist rhetoric, while Van der Bellen has said a Hofer presidency could threaten democracy in Austria.

“As you know, I am 72 years old and I’ve experienced how Austria rose from the ruins of World War II, caused by the madness of nationalism,” Van der Bellen said.

Immigrant issue

Last year, Austria took in 90,000 asylum seekers – equal to about one percent of its population – following the lead of neighboring Germany, which opened its borders to more than one million migrants, primarily those fleeing the Syrian civil war.

Austria has since slowed its migrant intake, which served to shore up support for the far-right candidate among voters already disillusioned with the two mainstream parties – the Social Democratic Party and the centrist People’s Party.

Opinion polls indicate Hofer holds a narrow lead over Van der Bellen, though Hofer seems surer of his victory than the polls would suggest.

“I will be your new president, a patron for Austria,” he told a large crowd that had gathered in Vienna’s Viktor-Adler Square Saturday prior to the election.

First results are expected in the contest around 5 p.m. local time Sunday, with the final results to be announced Monday after all the mail-in ballots have been counted.
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