Freedom Party leader Heinz Christian Strache and candidate Norbert Hofer celebrate the result.

The Austrian National Council on Wednesday gave majority approval on the decision to reschedule the run-off round for the presidential election for Dec. 4.

The election between former Greens leader Alexander Van der Bellen and Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer was initially scheduled for Oct. 2, though problems with seals on envelopes for voting cards prompted the interior ministry to push the date back.

The final round for the election was already held on May 22, with Van der Bellen edging out his opponent by a slight margin, though other issues with the voting procedure at the time led to a Constitutional Court ruling in favor of a challenge from the Freedom Party, and for a repeat election.

The Austria Press Agency reported that in response to the problems with the envelopes, electoral authorities were planning to switch back to an envelope type that was used in earlier elections. 

Source : XINHUA