Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has congratulated the incumbent Austrian President Heinz Fischer who leads in presidential elections count and will be possibly re-elected for a second six-year term.
Russian government's press-service said Putin congratulated Fischer with high preliminary results by phone.
With 55.7 % of ballot papers counted, Fischer gained 78.7% of the vote. His rivals, Barbara Rosenkranz, an outspoken leader of the far-right Austrian Freedom Party, and Rudolf Gehring of the recently formed tiny Austrian Christian Party gained 15.6% and 5.7% respectively.
Some 6.4 million Austrians were entitled to cast their ballot in the elections. Since the 2004 elections, their number has risen by 325,000, mainly due to the legislation amendment which gives 16-year-olds the right to vote.
VIENNA, April 25 (RIA Novosti)
