Austrian presidential election result overturned for electoral "irregularities"

[Boggit]

Read potential 'electoral fraud', although there is no direct proof of it according to the Austrian Constitutional Court. There were irregularities in the vote counting, and some officials seem to have been less than diligent, admitting to the court that they were not present when votes were opened and counted.

I can only go on what the media say, so have emailed several friends in Austria for their views, as they are usually pretty well informed. It may not be as shocking a story as the media suggest. Then again it might be. The Greens (left party) won with 51.3% of the vote, while the Freedom party of Austria (FPO - a far right party) lost with 49.7%. It was very close, and who knows how a re-run will turn out.

This has been one hell of a week for European politics! :o

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36681475
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/01/austrian-presidential-election-result-overturned-and-must-be-held-again-hofer-van-der-bellen
http://uk.businessinsider.com/austrian-court-just-overturns-presidential-election-narrowly-lost-by-a-far-right-candidate-2016-7?r=US&IR=T

[Nefaro]

I read the conservatives had been ahead until a haul of late mail-in votes arrived and the Greens made a big comeback at the last moment.

Maybe that's an exaggerated narrative, I don't know.

[Staggerwing]

Well, I heard that the winning vote difference was quite a bit less than the number of absentee ballots cast.

[Sir Slash]

Right now Mitt Romney's saying, "You can over-turn an election result"?

[Boggit]

I've had feedback from one of my Austrian friends, here's what he says...

"Well the electoral fraud is only a small topic: the results of some election districts have been gone public a few minutes before the last district closed and a few votes posted by letter have been opened too early. It may not really have affected the outcome but law was not 100% executed. That has something to do with the "Austrian dishevelment", not any bad purpose I think. Nevertheless, I think this time the outcome will be much clearer."


It looks like the media are exaggerating/guessing yet again for a good story. All they had to do was check with people in Austria. Simple, innit!  ::)

I wonder what my other friends will say now....  >:D