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THE run-off in theAustrian presidential election in May was the most polarising vote in thecountry’s recent history. The narrow victory of the Green candidate, AlexanderVan der Bellen (pictured, centre), over Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Partyspared the country the embarrassment of electing the first far-right head ofstate in post-war Europe.
But as in ahorror-movie sequel, the country will soon live through the same nightmareagain. On Friday, Austria’s constitutional court annulled the election becauseof a string of violations in the counting of postal ballots, which made up 16%of the total. Mr Hofer’s camp had claimed that in several electoral districtsthe envelopes were opened before the designated time, when their voluntaryobservers were not present.
In a televisedannouncement, the high court’s president, Gerhart Holzinger, said there was noevidence that votes had been altered or manipulated. But he cited legalprecedents, going back almost 90 years, ruling that even the possibility offoul play requires that the election be scrapped. If all the disputed ballotshad gone to Mr Hofer, he would have edged out Mr Van der Bellen, who wonby just 30,000 votes. The judge dismissed the option of a rerun limited to thedisputed districts.
Mr Van der Bellenand Mr Hofer will now have to fight it out again, probably on September25th. Both the Green and Freedom parties have promised a short campaign. ManyAustrians would like to take their summer holidays in peace. More importantly,neither party has much cash left in its coffers.
A rerun of anationwide election is unprecedented in a Western democracy. Yet the court feltit was necessary to quash any doubts about the rule of law in Austria. “A moveaway from legal precedence in such a sensitive election would have subjectedthe court to widespread criticism,” says Michael Enzinger, president of theVienna bar association. Had the result been allowed to stand despite thenumerous violations, it would have lent weight to right-wing conspiracytheories alleging that Mr Van der Bellen’s election was fraudulent. “In ademocracy, there must not be any doubt about the correctness of an election,”said Christian Kern, Austria’s new Social Democratic chancellor. He replacedWerner Faymann, who stepped down in April after their party’s presidentialcandidate failed even to make it to the run-off.
No politiciandared to criticise the constitutional court. Its investigation was meticulous:it took four days to interrogate dozens of electoral officials and observersbefore issuing its verdict. Yet the outcome leaves the country in shock. Thefirst campaign split the country into warring camps. Mr Hofer’s strongshowing raised fears that the Freedom Party could win the next generalelections due in 2018. The grand coalition government of the Social Democratsand the centre-right People’s Party has recovered a bit in the polls followingMr Kern’s replacement of Mr Faymann, but it is still riven by internalconflicts and under pressure from weak economic growth.
The earliercampaign was dominated by the clash between Mr Hofer’s euroscepticism andMr Van der Bellen’s support for European integration. That conflict could nowgrow even sharper. After Britain voted to leave the EU, Mr Hofer calledfor a similar referendum in Austria if the union made any new moves towardsintegration. The economic consequences of the Brexit vote may boost Mr Van derBellen’s share of the vote. But Mr Hofer and his party chairman, Heinz-ChristianStrache, are celebrating. In September, their mood may be more festive still.
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