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Europe
Austria presidential poll result overturned
2016-07-01
Austria's highest court has annulled the result of the presidential election narrowly lost by the candidate of the far-right Freedom Party.

The party had challenged the result, saying that postal votes had been improperly handled.
The Freedom Party candidate, Norbert Hofer, lost the election to the former leader of the Greens, Alexander Van der Bellen, by less than a percentage point.

The election will now be re-run.

Announcing the decision, Gerhard Holzinger, head of the Constitutional Court, said: "The challenge brought by Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache against the 22 May election... has been upheld."

In two weeks of hearings, lawyers for the Freedom Party argued that postal ballots were illegally handled in 94 out of 117 districts. It alleged that thousands of votes were opened earlier than permitted under election rules and some were counted by people unauthorised to do so.
And sometimes counted twice, or three times...
The party also claimed to have evidence that some under-16s and foreigners had been allowed to vote.
How 'bout the cemeteries?
If elected, Mr Hofer will become the first far-right head of state of an EU country. His party has based its election campaigns around concern over immigration and falling living standards for the less well-off.

After Britain voted to leave the EU, Mr Hofer said he favoured holding a similar referendum in Austria if the bloc failed to stop centralisation and carry out reforms "within a year".

Last Sunday, he told the Oesterreich newspaper (in German): "If [the EU] evolves in the wrong direction, then in my opinion the time has come to ask the Austrians if they still want to be part of it."

His opponent, Mr Van der Bellen, is strongly pro-EU and has spoken of his dream for a border-free "United States of Europe".
Which is why his fellow-travelers at the election commission carried him over the line...
Following the court's order to re-run the vote, President Heinz Fischer will be replaced on a temporary basis by three parliamentary officials, including Mr Hofer. The new election is expected to be held in September or October.
Posted by:Steve White

#6  "it's not who votes that count, it's who counts the votes"
Posted by: Warthog   2016-07-01 14:44  

#5  @Iblis
Not to the MSM it isn't.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2016-07-01 13:52  

#4  Any bets on the next election being a much wider margin for Freedom Party?
Posted by: DarthVader   2016-07-01 12:16  

#3  To quote our Vice President, this is a big fuckin deal.
Posted by: Iblis   2016-07-01 11:00  

#2  The "smartest man in the room"(c) said they do.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2016-07-01 10:54  

#1  Last Sunday, he told the Oesterreich newspaper (in German):

Wait - don't they speak Austrian in Austria?
Posted by: Raj   2016-07-01 10:02  

00:00