VIENNA – German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he’s “happy” with the results of the presidential election in Austria, calling it “a good sign against populism in Europe.”
In Austria, left-leaning Alexander Van der Bellen defeated right-wing rival Norbert Hofer, a victory welcomed by moderate politicians across Europe seeking to thwart advances by right-wing populist forces looking to weaken the European Union.
Steinmeier said that Van der Bellen’s victory “would be a good sign against populism in Europe and a sign for which I am not only happy but I am also happy because we got this news here in Greece, at the cradle of European democracy.”
Steinmeier made his remarks at a press conference in Athens after a meeting with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Kotzias.
Steinmeier, a Social Democrat who is slated to become Germany’s president next March after the Christian Democrat/Social Democrat ruling coalition agreed on his candidacy, is on a two-day official visit to Greece.
