Austria's Norbert Hofer concedes defeat in Presidential race

Austria's Norbert Hofer conceded defeat today in his bid to become Europe's first far-right president, as projections showed he was lagging behind in a bitterly fought election re-run. Greens-backed independent Alexander Van der Bellen swept 53.3 per cent of the votes against 46.7 per cent for his rival from the anti-immigration Freedom Party, FPOe according to public television projections.

Hofer's likely defeat will see EU leaders



breathe a sigh of relief in the wake of the anti-establishment tide sweeping many countries following the Brexit vote and Donald Trump's shock election triumph in the US.

The official result of the marathon election, which lasted nearly a year, is not expected before tomorrow when postal votes will be tallied. But the Freedom Party conceded defeat within minutes of the poll projections being released, shortly after voting ended.