Gloating left-wing supporters wave ‘Thank God’ signs after far-right candidate LOSES Austrian presidential election which was set to deliver body blow to the EU, by Tim Sculthorpe.

Far-right candidate Norbert Hofer has lost the race for the Austrian presidency and has conceded defeat as the first results emerged.

As the polls closed at 4pm UK time, exit surveys indicated left-leaning candidate Alexander Van der Bellen has taken an unbeatable lead in the election with more than 53 per cent of the vote.

Hofer would have been the first far-right politician elected to national office in Europe since World War 2. …

The margin is a surprise as polls ahead of Sunday’s vote had shown the two candidates neck-and-neck. …

Protesters marched through the streets of the Austrian capital Vienna on the eve of the election carrying banners reading ‘No Nazi in the Hofburg – end with the trivialization of fascism’. Hofer’s supporters claimed he would have proved he is not a Nazi if he had been elected. … Had he won, Hofer’s victory could have paved the way for a return to government of his popular FPOe, founded by ex-Nazis.