Austrians Elect Waldheim’s Successor
Associated Press
VIENNA —
Thomas Klestil, a conservative veteran diplomat, was elected Sunday to succeed President Kurt Waldheim, whose alleged Nazi past put Austria under six years of international isolation.
Klestil, candidate of the conservative People’s Party, had nearly 57% of the vote in the runoff against Social Democrat Rudolf Streicher, preliminary results showed.
The presidency is mostly a ceremonial post but has two main tasks: naming the head of Austria’s government and representing the country abroad.
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