Left-leaning Candidate Wins Austria’s Presidential Election

VIENNA — Left-leaning Alexander Van der Bellen and his message of moderation and tolerance prevailed in Austria’s presidential election Sunday, with preliminary results showing him with an unbeatable margin over right-wing rival Norbert Hofer. Austria’s president has mostly symbolic duties. But with Sunday’s election coming after Donald Trump’s win in the United States and the Brexit vote in Britain, the vote was being watched across Europe as an indication of how well right-wing euroskeptic figures would do next year in elections in other EU nations. The result was greeted with relief and congratulations by mainstream politicians in Austria and neighboring Germany. Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, who heads Germany’s center-left Social Democrats, told the Bild newspaper that “a load has been taken off the mind of all of Europe.” He called the result “a clear victory for good sense against right-wing populism.” Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said Van der Bellen “will represent Austria domestically and abroad in an excellent manner” — alluding to fears by establishment politicians in Austria that a victory by Hofer, whose anti-immigrant Freedom Party is critical of the European Union, would hurt Austria’s image. Van der Bellen is pro-European Union and represents liberal to left-of-center views. Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament called Van der Bellen’s victory a defeat for “anti-European, backward-looking populism.” Right-wingers allied with Hofer, meanwhile, praised the losing candidate for a strong electoral fight despite his defeat. With nearly all results counted, Van der Bellen had 53.3 percent of the vote to Hofer’s 46.7 percent.

Sections:  u.s.   
Topics:  Washington   Clark County   Vancouver   
RELATED ARTICLES
  • New building for Pacific Northwest National Lab campus
    RICHLAND — The federal government’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will build a new $90 million energy sciences research building on its Richland campus. A contract to design and construct the building has been awarded to a Houston-based team of Harvey Cleary Builders and Kirksey Architecture. The Tri-City Herald says the facility will cover 110,000 to 145,000 square feet. More
  • ‘Scumbag’ comment gets juror removed in Pasco double-murder trial. Judge says it’s not her fault
    PASCO, Wa. — A relative of a Pasco homicide victim, who phoned a juror last week, admitted calling the accused killer a “scumbag” during the brief telephone conversation. The relative was tracked down and interviewed by a defense investigator on Friday after the juror in Hector Orozco Jr.’s double-murder trial told court officials about the phone call. On Tuesday, attorney Daniel Stovern renewed his claim of jury tampering based on the conversation between “Juror No. More
  • New trial starts for 2 charged in homeless camp killing
    SEATTLE — A new trial has started for brothers accused of fatally shooting two people and wounding three others at the Seattle homeless encampment known as the Jungle. The Seattle Times reports James and Jerome Taafulisia are being tried for again on murder and assault charges in connection with the Jan. More
  • Woman sues Home Depot for $1.5M after termination
    BEND, Ore. — A Bend Paralympic athlete is suing Home Depot for $1.5 million, claiming the company did not consider her disability when it fired her in 2017. The Bulletin reports in a complaint filed Tuesday in Deschutes County Circuit Court, Barbara Buchan claims that after suffering a concussion in a fall at work, management fired her for keeping $11 worth of presentation materials in her vehicle overnight. More
BING NEWS:
  • Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
    Donald Trump’s defense team in his hush money case is seeking to undermine the testimony of the prosecution's first witness, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker. Pecker returned to the ...
    04/26/2024 - 9:06 am | View Link
  • Hamas official says group would lay down its arms if Palestinian state is established
    The suggestion that Hamas would disarm appeared to be a significant concession by the militant group officially committed to Israel’s destruction.
    04/25/2024 - 4:52 am | View Link
  • Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, ties bill to TikTok ban
    The Senate tonight passed $95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden along with a bill that could ban TikTok in the U.S.
    04/23/2024 - 2:53 pm | View Link
  • Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
    On the Senate floor, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said lawmakers were sending a message to U.S. allies: “We will stand with you.” ...
    04/23/2024 - 2:38 pm | View Link
  • Sioux City Musketeers sweep Lincoln Stars to reach USHL Western Conference finals
    Ty Hanson's goal in sudden-death overtime lifted Sioux City to a 3-2 win as the Musketeers swept the Lincoln Stars to advance to the USHL Western Conference finals.
    04/23/2024 - 2:15 am | View Link
  • More

 

Welcome to Wopular!

Welcome to Wopular

Wopular is an online newspaper rack, giving you a summary view of the top headlines from the top news sites.

Senh Duong (Founder)
Wopular, MWB, RottenTomatoes

Subscribe to Wopular's RSS Fan Wopular on Facebook Follow Wopular on Twitter Follow Wopular on Google Plus

MoviesWithButter : Our Sister Site

More U.s. News