Austria rejects far-right anti-LGBT Presidential hopeful in ‘knife edge’ election result
(L-R) A gay couple, Austrian singer and drag queen Conchita Wurst and Austrian TV host Verena Scheitz stand on stage during the opening of the 24th Life Ball at the Rathausplatz in Vienna, on 10 June 2017.
Austria has opted to elect a pro-gay Green President by a tiny margin – rejecting a far-right candidate.
The country this week held a Presidential run-off election between Norbert Hofer, the leader of the far-right Freedom party, and independent Green candidate Alexander Van der Bellen.
Austria currently allows same-sex couples to register their partnerships – but does not recognise equal marriage.
The Freedom Party has an overtly anti-LGBT platform that aims to exclude homosexuals from the right to marry, as well as rolling back LGBT adoption rights.
Meanwhile, the Greens have repeatedly filed same-sex marriage legislation in the Austrian Parliament, though it has not attracted enough support from other parties.
New President Alexander Van der Bellen (Getty)
Hofer had held an early lead through the process and was projected to win by a small margin – but Van der Bellen pulled off a surprise turnaround, managing to swing the result on postal votes.
The pair were separated by just 0.2% of the vote. With 4 million votes cast, Mr Van der Bellen pulled off a narrow victory by just 20,000 votes.
(@EuropeElects)
The President is largely a ceremonial role, but the contest has been livened up due to the outright rejection of mainstream politics – with neither of Austria’s main political parties making the run-off ballot.
Last year, a Green-backed bill on equal marriage was defeated by a vote of 110 to 26 in the Austrian Parliament.
Austrian drag artist and Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst has previously spoken about her frustration with her homeland.
She said: “I’m a human being and I have the same rights as everyone else, so I don’t need to discuss about that because it should be a common thing. So stop discussing, just make it equal.
“I don’t need a campaign, I just need decisions. I don’t need more time wasted. I’m not a politician, I don’t know how long it takes to make rights, but I’m one of thousands of thousands of people who are waiting.”
