Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen is expected to win the nation's presidential election with enough votes to avoid a runoff on November 6, initial projections indicated.
After having served a six-year term in office, the liberal president faces six challengers for his reelection. "It would be good if we had clarity today — good for Austria, good for us — if we can then fully concentrate on the diverse tasks ahead, the multitude of crises that we in Austria, in Europe, are facing," Van der Bellen said on Sunday after casting his vote.
The estimates of a representative sample of the vote showed that the incumbent leader garnered 56.22% of support, more than the 50% needed to avoid a presidential runoff. Walter Rosenkranz of the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) stood in second place backed by 17.58% of the public, followed by Beer party founder Dominik Wlazny and independent candidate Tassilo Wallentin who scored 8.79% and 7.92% of the votes, respectively.
