With the opening of the first polling stations in Austria, the election of the Federal President has begun. Around 6.4 million citizens aged 16 and over are called upon to nominate the future head of state.
The clear favorite is incumbent Alexander Van der Bellen. According to polls, the former leader of the Greens should get more than 50 percent of the votes. Thanks to this absolute majority, the 78-year-old would be elected immediately for the next six years and would not have to go to a runoff. If none of the seven applicants achieves an absolute majority, there is a runoff between the two best-placed candidates.
Van der Bellen supported by political parties and NGOs
Former Greens leader Van der Bellen is supported by all parliamentary parties except the right-wing FPÖ, by the social partners and many NGOs. Six candidates compete against him. The most prominent of them is the 60-year-old Walter Rosenkranz from the right-wing FPÖ. According to forecasts, he should get around 16 percent of the votes. A blogger, a shoe manufacturer, a doctor, a columnist and a representative of a party critical of vaccinations are also candidates. They usually rank in the single-digit percentage range in the surveys.
So far, an incumbent Federal President has never had to go to a runoff election. Despite the seemingly unequivocal polls, a question mark remains. According to pollsters, van der Bellen is not one of the most popular presidents compared to his predecessors. On top of that, the political framework conditions are very unusual with high inflation and the Ukraine war. During the election campaign, Van der Bellen tried to present himself as a haven of peace. One of his slogans was “Reason and stability in turbulent times”.
The FPÖ candidate Rosenkranz stands for a complete change of direction. For example, the FPÖ rejects EU sanctions against Russia. The 60-year-old has threatened to dismiss the government if necessary. This right belongs to the Federal President, but it is difficult to implement in practice.
