Austrians head to the polls Sunday to choose a new president for the country for the next six years; Seven candidates are competing, led by current President Alexander van der Bellen, who is looking to win a new presidential term after six years in the Hofburg Palace.
A state of relative calm dominated the election campaigns after the country's largest parties supported the incumbent president for a second term, and opinion polls showed his overwhelming lead over his rivals by more than 60 percent, while his closest rival, Gerald Grosz, the candidate backed by the right-wing Freedom Party, got no more than 13 percent.
 
More than 6 million "adult" Austrian citizens will vote in tomorrow's elections, either by direct attendance or by postal vote, and EU citizens residing in the country are also entitled to vote, while 1.4 million residents of the country were excluded because they did not obtain Austrian citizenship.
 
The candidates concluded their electoral campaigns on Friday evening, to begin on Saturday morning the period of electoral silence. President Van der Bellen, 78, made extensive tours of social festivals and youth gathering places, to explain his policies based on mobilizing the country's efforts to confront climate change, given that he is one of the most prominent leaders of the Green Party. Austrian.
 
He also affirmed his continued support for Ukraine in light of the escalation of the current conflict with Russia, pointing to his continued commitment to support European unity and to deal humanely with issues of migrants and migration flows to Austria.
 
One of the funniest candidates for the elections is the singer Dominique Lazne, who was keen to mobilize his supporters in the most famous squares in central Vienna through loud rock music that attracts young people, and he attended wearing torn pants and a ring in his nose.
 
In his advocates, he focused on the need for change and the empowerment of young people, noting that he had experience despite his young age.
 
On the other hand, candidate Gerald Grosz, backed by the Freedom Party, focused on enhancing citizens' fears about the economic crisis and the dangers of illegal immigration, saying, "Our country is at a crossroads on Sunday," criticizing what he called political corruption. We can afford the electricity bill.
 
A state of austerity prevailed in spending on electoral campaigns, with limited exceptions, due to the economic crisis, and many aspects of excessive advertising and posters were dispensed with, while some explain that the elections are almost a foregone conclusion for the current president, who is most likely to win in the first round.
 
It is known that Austria enjoys a semi-presidential system of government and the president and the federal chancellor "head of government" share the powers, but the greater powers are in the hands of the government, which usually consists of a coalition of the two largest parties in parliament. The president is entitled to a maximum of two terms of office with a total of 12 years.

Source: Middle East News Agency