Sunday, December 4, 2016

Two Huge Elections in Europe

In Austria, far-right candidate Norbert Hofer lost the presidential election to the Geen-backed Van der Bellen, with much of the world breathing a sigh of relief. 

Had he won, Hofer would have been the first far-right head of state in Western Europe since the end of World War II.

Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi put his political future at stake with this vote for constitutional changes, although the vote actually took on a lot more meaning than that for many Italians, and is being viewed as a vote on the Euro Zone, with many unhappy with the way that they perceive that Italy has been treated.

He promised to resign if the "no" vote wins.

The initial exit polls suggest that the "no" vote did indeed win, although the exit polls have been notoriously unreliable in the past. Nigele Farage, the notorious far-right British politician who spearheaded the Brexit vote, expressed hope that the exit polls in Otaly proved accurate.

1 comment:

  1. One could make the case that Kurt Waldheim, the President of Austria from 86 to 92, was a product of the Far Right considering his nazi past, which he of course attempted to conceal.

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