Austrians give landslide to Social Democrat president

[DavidDvorkin]

Source: EU Observer

Austria's incumbent Social Democrat president, Heinz Fischer, won a second six-year term in office on Sunday, with 79 percent of the vote.

But a far-right candidate, Barbara Rosenkranz, known for opposition to the country's Holocaust denial laws that had dominated election news, in the end captured only 15 percent.

While still high, the vote for the woman described by opponents as the ‘Reich Mother' for her extreme views and ten children with antiquated Germanic names, is considerably lower than the 20 to 25 percent predicted by some polls and a sharp drop on the 28 percent the far right won in the 2008 general election.

The mainstream centre-right, the People's Party, failed to field a candidate for what is a largely ribbon-cutting ceremonial post once it became clear that the popular Mr Fischer was on track to win a landslide victory.

Read more: http://euobserver.com/9/29939

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It's a ceremonial post, but still this is encouraging after the gains the extreme right has made in some parts of Europe.

[harry_pothead]

1. I just read up on Rosenkranz

She basically sounds like an Austrian Sarah Palin.

[h9socialist]

3. Is she as flaky?

[harry_pothead]

4. No but she's just as maverickey and gives her kids dumb names like Sarah.

[Evasporque]

2. Should be an example to the media...

That just because you prop up right wing wackos does not mean they have any true support.

[Democat]

5. US media is much more organized to undermine Obama!

But he still won once, against all of their efforts. Hope he can do it again in 2012!

[pampango]

6. Voters give far right a drubbing in Austria presidential election

Source: Christian Science Monitor

The Austria presidential election was a landslide victory for incumbent Heinz Fischer and saw the far right poll worse than expected, sending a message that its appeal is dimming, analysts say.

Austrian voters sent a clear message Sunday to the far right when they shunned Freedom Party candidate Barbara Rosenkranz and voted overwhelmingly for independent Heinz Fischer to serve a second term as president.

Mr. Fischer, formerly with the Social Democrats, garnered nearly 78 percent of the vote. Rosenkranz came in a distant second with 15.5 percent. Rudolf Gehring, leader of the newly formed Christian Party, received nearly 6 percent of the vote. Rosenkranz is a member of the lower house of parliament. She became known on the campaign trail as "Reich Mother" for her strong anti-foreigner stance, while critics cast her as a Nazi sympathizer.

The question was not whether Fischer would win big, but how big. The goal of the Freedom Party was to capture 25 percent of the vote, which would have been consistent with national elections two years ago. But Rosenkranz was met with significant and vocal opposition by voters.

Read more: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2010/0426/Voters-give-far-right-a-drubbing-in-Austria-presidential-election

[JNelson6563]

7. Awesome! Go Australia!

:toast:

[supernova]

8. lol!

Austria, Australia. :shrug:

[CatWoman]

9. you threw me off a minute there

:)

[JNelson6563]

10. heh

Fun stuff.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

12. yes that's right

I wonder how many kangas there are in Austria!:hi:

[JNelson6563]

15. I knew I shouldn't've drank all that cough medicine this morning!

Ah well. So it goes. ;-)

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. Don't rule it out - there are wild wallabies in Britain

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Wallaby-sighting-Peak-District/article-1155915-detail/article.html

[Rosa Luxemburg]

18. you learn something new every day

I have never seen a wallaby in the UK

[DavidDvorkin]

11. Dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4357202

[mrfocus]

17. Rosenkranz appeals to the "Birther" and Tea Bagger equivalent demographic in Austria

Being from there, I can tell you that there are still enough incorrigibles that would enthusiastically embrace the Austrian equivalent of Birther or Tea Bagger propaganda (as evidenced by the 28% vote for the far right "Freedom Party").

However, Rosenkranz definitely took it too far and was outside the politically acceptable main stream.

[Doctor_J]

13. Pretty soon it will be us & Israel on the far right,

China a Communist dictatorship, a few fly specks of fascism, and the rest of the world making do without us.

Poor King Glen

[LeftishBrit]

14. Good news!

Does Rosenkrantz have a colleague called Guildenstern? If so, I hope they are both politically dead!

Seriously, it *is* a huge relief, given the far-right inroads in some parts of Europe.