Déjà vu for Austria as crucial presidential re-run gets underway

By Christopher Cummins with Agencies • Updated: 03/12/2016

It is déjà vu time for the Austrian electorate as they return to the polls in a re-run of May’s presidential election.

Austria’s highest court annulled the result of that presidential election which went the way of the of the former Green Party leader Alexander Van der Bellen, by just 30,863.

Alexander #VanderBellen beim Wahlfinale der #bpw16 pic.twitter.com/FGTRXDNv3D
— A. Van der Bellen (@vanderbellen) December 2, 2016

The far-right Freedom Party of Norbert Hofer challenged the result and the pair live to fight another day.

Populist wave could claim a fresh win in Austria if Norbert Hofer is elected Europe's first far-right president since 1945 pic.twitter.com/3yUXnqrAlb
— AFP news agency (@AFP) December 2, 2016

Thomas Meyer is professor of political sciences at the University of Vienna, he sees the greens v far-right as a rejection of traditional politics.

“There is no change, there is a feeling of stagnation. This isn`t necessarily true, but the feeling of it is prevalent. People who are frustrated, are seeking an alternative. On the right side that is the FPÖ, on the left, mainly the Greens.”

The job is mainly ceremonial, but Europe’s major players fear the domino effect of a far-right head of state in Austria.