Far-right success in Austrian election due to lack of confidence in gov't: survey

The shock result in the Austrian presidential election on Sunday that saw the far-right candidate win the most votes has partly come about due to a voter crisis of confidence in the government, a survey has revealed.

Political experts Fritz Plasser and Franz Sommer presented the study on Tuesday that was based on 1,500 telephone interviews, Austria Press Agency reported.

It showed that 93 percent of respondents who voted for the Freedom Party's Norbert Hofer, who took over 35 percent of the total vote, had little or no trust in the two main parties, the Social Democrats and People's Party, and their politicians.

Eighty-four percent also said they are unhappy with the work of the federal government.

Those who did vote for the candidates representing the two parties to the coalition government as had a comparatively more favorable view, as would be expected, of the government, both major parties, and the candidates.

Another decisive factor in the result was that 40 percent of those who voted for Hofer also said his comparatively young age and pleasant attitude were factors in their decision to do so.

The refugee and asylum issue was said to have had little relevance in what was the first round of voting Sunday, though could be decisive in the runoff election on May 22, as the two remaining candidates, Hofer and former Greens leader Alexander Van der Bellen, represent polarizing stances on the issue.

Eighty-four percent of those who voted Hofer on Sunday believe Austria cannot take in any more refugees, while 74 percent of those who voted for Van der Bellen conversely believe it can.

They survey also found that only about a third of Austrians currently feel emotionally connected to a political party, mainly to the detriment of the two major parties. Endit