After a seemingly never-ending campaign, Austria's presidential race came to an end on Saturday, leaving the decision in the hands of the voters.

A victory on Sunday for Norbert Hofer (pictured above, right) from the anti-immigration and EU-critical Freedom Party (FPÖ) would make him Europe's first far-right elected president since World War II.

The Austrian presidency is largely ceremonial. However, in the event of Hofer's victory, hitherto unused presidential powers could - in theory - allow him to fire center-left Chancellor Christian Kern's government.

In light of June's Brexit vote in the UK, as well as Donald Trump's victory in the US election last month, success for Hofer would also mark another triumph for populist politics. For his opponent, the independent Alexander Van der Bellen (pictured above, left), the only hope of beating Hofer is to win the capital, Vienna.

Polls suggest that gun enthusiast Hofer and former Greens leader Van der Bellen are neck and neck.

Dirty tactics

In their final bids to clinch the presidency on Saturday, both candidates released Facebook videos, urging Austrians to turn out and vote on Sunday.

Van der Bellen said people should be guided by "reason, not extremes," while Hofer called on voters to ensure a "safe Austria" for their "children and grandchildren."

The 11-month campaign has been a drawn-out affair which has repeatedly shed light on the ugly side of politics.

Austrian daily "Die Presse" dubbed the final debate - in which both candidates repeatedly called each other "a liar" - a "key scene in the screenplay of the slow decline of Austria's political culture."

During the campaign, Hofer called his challenger a "communist" and a "fascist green dictator," while Van der Bellen labeled Hofer a "demagogue."

Out in the streets, Hofer's posters were defaced with Hitler moustaches and Van der Bellen's were smeared with dog excrement.

In May, Van der Bellen won a runoff by just 31,000 votes but the FPÖ had the result annulled due to irregularities. This time around, however, there are 20 percent fewer postal votes, which might prove beneficial to Hofer.

A look at Austria's never-ending election How it all started The presidency, which is a largely ceremonial post, has always gone to the ruling Social Democrats and the conservative People's Party since 1945. This year however, voters discharged the coalition's candidates and instead voted for Norbert Hofer of the anti-immigration Freedom Party. The only person blocking his path was ex-Green party chief Alexander Van der Bellen.

A look at Austria's never-ending election Hofer's friendly face Described as the Freedom Party's "friendly face," the self-proclaimed political gladiator pushes tricky subjects like anti-immigration with a winning smile instead of the provocative rhetoric of party chief Heinz-Christian Strache.

A look at Austria's never-ending election Left-wing independent candidate Van der Bellen Born in Vienna to an aristocratic Russian father and an Estonian mother who fled Stalinism, Van der Bellen joined the Greens in the 1990s and led them to achieve record results as party leader for a decade. In a bid to attract young voters, he tried to be Austria's - that is to say, Österreich's Obama. Or rather, "Öbama."

A look at Austria's never-ending election Bickering opponents Van der Bellen's trademark professorial manner has often riled Hofer. "I'm talking about Europe: E-U-R-O-P-E. Ever heard of it?" Van der Bellen jibed his rival during a TV encounter earlier this year. "My God, so schoolmasterly, Herr Doctor Van der Bellen," a furious Hofer snapped back.

A look at Austria's never-ending election Austrian glitterati Van der Bellen's huge backing from celebrities and the country's top politicians has left his rival unimpressed. "You have the glitterati, but I have the people," the far-right politician observed.

A look at Austria's never-ending election May 22: Election day In the evening Hofer and Strache cheer. Hofer has just won the tense run-off, projections showed. But over the next 24 hours, his hopes will be crushed.

A look at Austria's never-ending election Liberal Vienna acclaims Van der Bellen's victory The postal votes, traditionally tallied the day after the polling station count, gradually swung the outcome in Van der Bellen's favor. In the end, the 72-year-old economics professor beat his rival by just over 31,000 votes. "I want to be a nonpartisan president for all the people in Austria," the new president-elect vowed.

A look at Austria's never-ending election Re-run for early October Hofer's party, the FPÖ, filed a legal challenge in June against the result over alleged procedural problems discovered in numerous constituencies. Reported breaches included postal votes being opened too early, as well as "non-Austrians" casting ballots. Siding with the FPÖ, the Constitutional Court annulled the May result and ordered a re-run for early October.

A look at Austria's never-ending election One more time Van der Bellen took the news in stride, marching through crowds of supporters to Daft Punk's tune "One more time."

A look at Austria's never-ending election Faulty envelopes lead to further delay The election might not have been delayed had the voter Beate Rhomberg not brought the problem of faulty envelopes to the attention of her local paper. The paper's subsequent report led to a storm of complaints over voters' envelopes coming unstuck. Van der Bellen suggested that the glue was a metaphor for bigger problems in Austria, saying "What we need most of all is for us to stick together."

A look at Austria's never-ending election Öxit, Austria's EU exit on the table Whereas Van der Bellen is against Austria's exit from the EU, Hofer's Freedom Party has been campaigning against further European integration since 2005. The party reacted positively to Britain's Brexit and proclaimed Austria should start a renegotiation over the country’s relationship with the EU.

A look at Austria's never-ending election Will the vote be final this time? To be on the safe side, parliament has scheduled the swearing-in for late January to give authorities sufficient time to investigate any potential issues. Author: Nadine Berghausen



ksb/cmk (AFP, dpa)