Van der Bellen wins direct reelection as president of Austria

The president of Austria, Alexander van der Bellen, has won more than 55 percent of the votes in the elections held this Sunday, according to projections based on real vote, so he gets the direct re-election as head of state.

The ORF-SORA projection thus points to Van der Bellen’s re-election for a second term and has already received congratulations from his rivals and across the political spectrum.

“Now we must look ahead together and concentrate without further delay on the important issues. Whether you voted for me or another candidate, I will work for all Austrians and for all those who live in Austria with the best of me,” said Van del Bellen after the vote, according to the public broadcaster ÖRF.

Van der Bellen ran as an independent candidate, although he has the support of all parliamentary parties in Austria, except for the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), which has garnered 17.9 percent of votes with its candidate, Walter Rosenkranz. With these figures, a second round between the two most voted candidates is avoided.

“I hope of course that it will end well, that we already have clarity today,” the 78-year-old declared as he cast his vote in Vienna. In his view, a runoff would simply mean waiting another four weeks for the desired result.

Van der Bellen later resumed his institutional role to thank “everyone who exercised their democratic right to vote today” in this “celebration of democracy.”