Foreign Affairs
Related: About this forumAustria to Rerun Presidential Election After Far-Right Appeal
VIENNA Austria's highest court on Friday overturned the results of the country's presidential election and ordered a rerun, following claims of counting irregularities by the candidate who narrowly lost.
It also gives the defeated candidate the chance to become the first far-right head of state in the European Union.
The ruling may be unique beyond Austria. Political scientist Peter Filzmaier said it appeared to represent the first time that a nationwide vote will have to be repeated "in any modern world democracy."
The decision was announced by Constitutional Court chief judge Gerhart Holzinger. It represents a victory for the anti-immigration Freedom Party, which challenged the May 22 runoff, but also has wider implications that encompass other European countries.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/austria-rerun-presidential-election-after-far-right-appeal-n602256
ck4829
(35,098 posts)Ghost Dog
(16,881 posts)Philip Oltermann in Vienna Tuesday 24 May 2016
... In the immediate aftermath of the vote, FPÖ leaders and activists had cried foul over the narrow result, with the Green-endorsed independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen winning by only about 31,000 votes.
Even before it emerged that Hofer had lost out on the presidency due to Van der Bellens strong performance in the postal vote, the partys secretary, Herbert Kickl, had said that absentee votes had in the past shown up inconsistencies .
Accomplices of the current political system could potentially use the opportunity to adjust the result in favour of the systems representative, Alexander Van der Bellen, Kickl said.
On his Facebook page, the party leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, seized on irregularities in Linz and Waidhofen, where the final result announced a voter turnout of 146.9%. The interior ministry said the figure was the result of a data entry error...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/24/austria-far-right-freedom-party-cries-foul-presidential-election-defeat
And now
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-01/austria-orders-rerun-of-presidential-vote-that-nationalist-lost
Well, I have to say that on these (and there would be other valid) grounds, such a court in Spain would have to order that the recent Spanish repeat General Election would have to be, umm, repeated...
bemildred
(90,061 posts)It might lead one to question the government's competence, not being able to hold a vote and count up the result. What else can they not do?