VIENNA (Sputnik) — Van der Bellen expressed gratitude to voters, election officials and congratulated his rival Norbert Hofer from right-wing Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) with a "good result".
"The results of the presidential elections in Austria gave a clear red-white-red signal to the major European cities about the policy of coexistence, which belongs to common European values, and that it not only makes sense, but leads to success," Van der Bellen said.
6 December 2016, 15:50 GMT
Van der Bellen noted that he would work on promotion of the country in the international arena and enhancing foreign contacts. The president-elect added that his immediate plans included meetings with Austrian officials at different levels.
On Tuesday, the Austrian election commission counted all additional votes and officially confirmed Van der Bellen's victory in Sunday's presidential election runoff. He surpassed Hofer by nearly 350,000 votes (7.6 percent).
