Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party was slightly ahead of his rival, Alexander Van der Bellen, the interior ministry said on Sunday. If elected, Mr. Hofer will be the first far-right head of state in the European Union.
 
This would be a landmark triumph for resurgent populist parties across Europe that have capitalized on the migration and refugee crisis, austerity policies and economic woes and widespread dissatisfaction with traditional parties of power.
 
However, regarding Austria it would be all the more remarkable for being in a prosperous country with low unemployment, where two centrist parties have dominated since its annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938.
 
The provisional result from the Interior Ministry, which did not include postal ballots, showed Hofer ahead with 51.9% to Van der Bellen's 48.1%. But since postal votes are still counted and their exact number is not known, final results may swift.
 
Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said he expected there would be about 750.000 postal ballots, roughly 12% of Austria's 6.4 million eligible voters.
 
On Sunday night, Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party said he had been in politics a long time and have never election night like this.
 
He is correct, in fact, on a larger scale. Support for eurosceptic political parties and groups and anti-migration and anti-refugee agenda has been rising in several countries. Freedom Party (FPO) is only one in a long list of political entities that hit the core of supposedly European values.
 
Yesterday, for the first time in its history, Cyprus elected a far-right political party as well. ELAM will be have two seats in the newly elected parliament, according to preliminary estimates.
 
“Norbert Hofer has achieved an enormous success today” FPO leader Heinz-Christian Strache said. “People recognize there are outdated old political structures, old parties also in other European countries that operate with outdated mindsets”.
 
The president traditionally plays a largely ceremonial role but swears in the chancellor and can dismiss the cabinet. Mr. Hofer has already made clear his intention is not to play along.
 
Sunday's run-off election comes four weeks after Hofer won the first round with 35% of the vote. Van der Bellen scored 21% in the first round.