Independent candidate wins Austria’s presidential election

The BBC has reported that independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen has won Austria's presidential election, preventing Norbert Hofer from becoming the EU's first far-right head of state. The official announcement has not yet been released but it appears that Van der Bellen has won the post, despite the fact that Hofer had a narrow lead after Sunday’s election.

According to the BBC, postal votes counted on Monday gave Van der Bellen victory.Van der Bellen campaigned on a pro-EU platform, backed by the Green Party, whereas Hofer, of the Freedom Party, had tapped into anti-EU sentiment and fears about rising numbers of asylum seekers.

On Sunday, the interior ministry said that Hofer had led Van der Bellen by 51.9% to 48.1, however, the 750,000 postal votes - roughly 12% of Austria's 6.4 million registered voters - swayed the result.

Although the presidency is largely a ceremonial post, the president has the power to dissolve the National Council - the more powerful lower house of parliament - and so trigger a general election.