The Queen Maria Theresia Monument in Vienna, Austria. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Austria’s far-right Freedom Party candidate has come top in the first round of presidential elections, preliminary results show.

Norbert Hofer has about 36% of the votes for the mostly ceremonial role – not enough to avoid a run-off in May. He is likely to face Alexander Van der Bellen, an independent contender backed by the Greens, who is polling 20%.

Read full story at BBC.