VIENNA (Reuters) – Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, a 78-year-old former leader of the Greens, said in a video posted online on Sunday he is standing for re-election this year to a second six-year term, which is likely to limit the number of candidates.
Van der Bellen is a popular figure who has been a steady hand in periods of turbulence including the scandal-tainted collapse of a ruling coalition between the conservative People’s Party (OVP) and the far-right Freedom Party in 2019.
Senior members of the two biggest parties in parliament, the OVP and the Social Democrats, have said it is likely they will not field candidates if he stands. Austrian presidents have a largely ceremonial role but they oversee periods of crisis and transition and have the power to dismiss the government.
(Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Toby Chopra)
