The Austrian government has announced that re-run of the country’s presidential election will take place on 2nd of October. Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka suggested this date ahead of a government meeting.Repeat of voting is necessary, because of the recent cancellation of the second round by the Constitutional Court. Recall that it happened after a legal challenge from the far-right Freedom Party. The FPOe referred to the "massive irregularities". The prosecution assumes that tens of thousands of votes has been opened earlier than the time it intended, and that the votes were counted by the unauthorized persons. It also argued that postal votes had been illegally and improperly handled cast by mail in 14 districts.

The Constitutional Court said that election rules had been broken in a way that could have influenced the result. It also confirmed there was no proof the count had been manipulated.

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On the 22nd of May Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer lost the election to the former Greens leader Alexander Van der Bellen. The difference was less than 31 thousand votes. Election has to be repeated throughout Austria, because execution of them only in the districts where there were irregularities, would not be technically possible.

Alexander Van der Bellen was to be sworn in office on July 8th. However, the interim head of state will take over presidium triple of the National Council. This is necessary, because on Friday will end the second term of the current President Heinz Fischer.


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