Austrian presidential election: Far-right candidate defeated

Alexander Van der Bellen victorious after tight race against anti-immigration party's Norbert Hofer

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Alexander Van der Bellen has won the Austrian presidency, narrowly preventing rival Norbert Hofer from becoming Europe's first far-right head of state since the Second World War.

The 72-year old retired economics professor and former Green Party leader won with a miniscule margin of just 0.4 percentage points, according to local media. An official result is due later today.

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