Austrian president seeks re-election by first-round knock-out

Candidates in Austria’s presidential election began wrapping up their campaigns on Friday ahead of Sunday’s vote in which the incumbent and clear
favourite, Alexander Van der Bellen, hopes he can secure a majority to avoid a run-off.
Most opinion polls have shown Van der Bellen, the 78-year-old former leader of the Greens, on slightly more than the 50% needed to win outright in the first round. That means the challenge is to mobilise his supporters and convince them that his victory is not assured.
Neither of the main centrist parties has fielded candidates, and senior figures from both back Van der Bellen. He faces a field of six opponents, all men, with Walter Rosenkranz of the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) his closest rival, polling at around 16%.