The Freedom party (FPÖ) candidate Norbert Hofer claimed victory in the first round of the recent presidential election in Austria, winning 36% of the vote. The rightwing populist, who has threatened to dissolve parliament before the 2018 elections, will now go head to head with the Green party outsider Alexander Van der Bellen in a run-off ballot on the 22 May.
It will be the first time since 1945 that Austria’s president has not come from the two centrist parties, the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the People’s party (ÖVP). Support for the two main parties has been on the slide, with many people criticising the coalition government’s handling of the refugee crisis. There are also concerns over Austria’s struggling economy, which has been traditionally strong in the past. The country no longer has the lowest unemployment rate in the European Union.
As Austria braces itself for the run-off ballot at the end of next month, we’d like to hear from people living in the country. What was your reaction to the first round result of the presidential election on Sunday? How do you feel about the rise of the Freedom Party’s in Austria? What are the main issues affecting people living in the country? Do you think the current government is doing enough to address these issues? After the disastrous result for the current coalition parties, where do you think the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the People’s party (ÖVP) go from here?
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