Van der Bellen wins re-election in Austrian presidential race

Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen and his wife Doris Schmidauer arrive at the media center at Niederst Palace on Sunday during the Austrian presidential election in Vienna, Austria.Photo by Christian Bruner/EPA-EFE

“Thank you!” said Van der Bellen in a brief message Posted on Twitter after the election.

Van der Bellen, 78, is the former leader of the Green Party and was elected to his first term as president in 2016. He has since led the country through the Coronavirus disease In Russia’s war in Ukraine, the pandemic and the blow to the country’s economy.

An election-day poll conducted by ORF with the Austrian SORA Institute showed that Austrians voted for Van der Bellen because they found no other candidate qualified for public office and believed he had proven himself in office.

Austria’s populist Freedom Party candidate Walter Rosenkranz finished second in most of Sunday’s race, but outpaced Dominique Varazny in Vienna, further rejecting Austrian populism. Still, Rosenkranz retained more than 17 percent of the vote.

Wlazny, a rock musician known by the stage name Marco Pogo, is the founder of the Austrian Beer Party – a small satirical party in the country that advocates for a beer fountain in Vienna.

The party’s legitimacy passed human rights movement, education and addiction prevention, and criticism of epidemic restrictions. Wlazny was third with 8.5 percent of the vote, as votes continued to be counted into Sunday night.

Austrian Social Democrat leader Pamela Lundy-Wagner congratulated van der Bellen on his election night victory.

“The result is a decision that favors stability and continuity, which is especially important in times like these,” Rendi-Wagner said. “Especially at a time of great challenges, the continuity and experience of the head of state is important to our country.”