72-year old Alexander Van der Bellen has won the country's presidential election. Austria's interior minister announced that left-leaning Van der Bellen collected 50.3 percent of the votes compared to 49.7 percent for Norbert Hofer of the right-wing Freedom Party. Only a little more than 31,000 votes separated the two, out of more than 4.6 million ballots cast.

Presidential candidate Alexander Van der Bellen (L) casts his vote at a polling station during the Austrian presidential elections in Vienna, Austria, May 22, 2016. (Xinhua/Qian Yi)

Van der Bellen stood as an independent candidate but he was backed by the Green Party which he once led. It's the first time since the Second World War that an Austrian president has not been backed by mainstream ruling parties. The presidency in Austria is seen as a ceremonial role. The president has the power to dismiss the cabinet, but this power has not been exercised since the war.