Austria election: Far Right leader Norbert Hofer concedes defeat to Alexander Van der Bellen

Austria's voters have resoundingly rejected anti-immigration and eurosceptic Norbert Hofer's bid to become the European Union's first far-right president, a result greeted with relief from centrist politicians across the continent. Instead, Greens-backed independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen swept 53.3 percent of Sunday's vote against 46.7 percent for his rival from the anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPOe), according to public television projections.

"Today it is not an exaggeration if I say that today we see a red-white-red - the flag of Austria - as a signal of hope and change. A red-white-red signal from Austria to all the capitals of the European Union," Van der Bellen, 72, said in Vienna.