Former Green party chief Alexander Van der Bellen has been elected Austrian president, Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said on Monday, narrowly defeating his far-right rival by 0.6 percentage points after all votes were counted, according to dpa. Van der Bellen, a 72-year-old former professor of economics, received 50.3 per cent of the votes. His rival, far-right Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer, received 49.7 per cent. Hofer, a 45-year-old senior Freedom Party lawmaker, had entered the race as the favourite after having won the first round of elections in April. After the final result was announced, Van der Bellen told the media he wants to foster a culture of dialogue, after his narrow win showed many people "do not feel adequately seen or heard."
