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Far-right party wins 1st round of Austrian elections
Last updated on Apr 25, 2016, 05:46 pm
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Norbert Hofer of the Freedom party in Austria, won a clear majority in the first round of the Austrian presidential elections.
Candidates from the two ruling centrist parties failed to even make it into a runoff, coming fourth and fifth each with 11% of the vote.
Freedom party leader, Heinz-Christian Strache hailed the elections as "the beginning of a new political era" in Austria.
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Introduction
Austria: A profile
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Austria is a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, with a Federal Chancellor as the head of government, and a Federal President as head of state.
The President is elected by popular vote for a term of six years and limited to two consecutive terms of office.
The two major political parties in Austria are the Social Democratic Party of Austria and the People's party.
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Electoral System
Austria's electoral system
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There are public elections for the post of president in Austria every six years.
The election is held under a two-round system.
If no candidate receives more than 50% of votes cast in the first round, then a second ballot occurs (run-off) in which only those two candidates who received the greatest number of votes in the first round may stand.
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Information
Large increase in voter count
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According to the Austrian Election Commission, 6,382,484 Austrian citizens aged 16+ are eligible to vote in the presidential election. Compared with the 2010 presidential election, the number of eligible voters increased by 26,684.
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25 Apr 2016
Far-right party wins 1st round of Austrian elections
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Norbert Hofer of the Freedom party in Austria, won a clear majority in the first round of the Austrian presidential elections.
Candidates from the two ruling centrist parties failed to even make it into a runoff, coming fourth and fifth each with 11% of the vote.
Freedom party leader, Heinz-Christian Strache hailed the elections as "the beginning of a new political era" in Austria.
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Information
Run-off expected on 22 May
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According to the norms set by Austria's Election Commission, if no candidate secures a majority of the votes in the first round of the presidential elections, a run-off will be held on 22 May.
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Significance
What is the significance of these elections?
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The results mark a major shake-up in Austrian politics.
It is the first time that the Socialist's and the People's party, who have ruled Austria either as a majority or in a coalition since World War 2, have not been elected to power.
The clear victory of the far-right candidate reflects widespread discontent with the status quo and concerns over immigration and the economy.