Social democrat wins Austrian election

A senior parliamentary official today defeated a rival backed by right-wing populist Joerg Haider in a presidential election that also indicated voter dissatisfaction with the country’s government, preliminary results showed.

With 50% of the votes counted, Heinz Fischer, the candidate of the opposition Social Democrats, had close to 52% of electorate support. Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the conservative endorsed by Haider, had just over 48%.