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Man, nobody saw this coming (he said, with heavy sarcasm):
The far-Right appeared close to seizing the Austrian presidency on Sunday night, in an election result that will send shockwaves through Europe.
Norbert Hofer, the gun-toting candidate of the Freedom Party (FPÖ), won almost twice as many votes as his nearest rival, according to exit polls.
With just over half the votes counted, Mr Hofer was far out in front with 35 per cent.
The result could spell the end of the two-party system that has dominated Austria since the Second World War, with their candidates beaten into fourth and fifth place.
More:
Mr Hofer carried a Glock pistol on the campaign trail with him, and told reporters a rise in Austrian gun ownership was a natural reaction to the migrant crisis.
“In uncertain times, people try to protect themselves,” he said.
The established parties appear to have paid the price for their muddled response to the crisis.
Read the whole thing.
It’s not a done deal yet. There’s a second round of voting, and if most voters coalesce around the Freedom Party’s opponent, they will keep Hofer from the presidency. Besides, the Austrian presidency is largely a ceremonial position. But symbolically, this is massive. And the European establishment politicians only have themselves to blame.