Vienna — Austrians elected a Green Party-backed economics professor as their next president on Sunday, spurning the appeal of an anti-immigration nationalist who campaigned to weaken ties to the European Union. With all regular votes counted, Alexander Van der Bellen defeated Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party by 51.7% to 48.3% after Sunday’s repeat run-off election to the mainly ceremonial presidency. While mail-in ballots will only be counted on Monday, Van der Bellen’s margin of victory was too great to change the outcome, and Hofer conceded defeat. Van der Bellen, 72, said that he stood for the "old values" of freedom, equality and solidarity. He also signalled that he wanted to preside over a more active presidency, urging a focus on policies such as efforts to tackle unemployment. Austria sent a "good signal" on Sunday "to the capitals of the European Union", Van der Bellen, who ran as an independent, said. "You can actually win elections with a pro-European position." Togethe...
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