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May 24th, 2025 | 7:03 PM ET

A Strong Warning For Change

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Posted: May 27th, 2016

By Georg Spiegelfeld-Schneeburg

Dr. Georg Spiegelfeld-Schneeburg is a former Member of the Austrian Federal Council (Bundesrat), serving from 2003 - 2010, and a current businessman working in real estate. Previously, he was Chairman of the center-right Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) in Schlüßlberg, Chairman of the Austrian Economic Association (ÖWB) in Grieskirchen, and Chairman of the Economic Association of Upper Austria in Grieskirchen. He received his Doctor of Law from the University of Salzburg.

A sigh of relief could be heard amongst Europeanists, when independent Green Party candidate Alexander Van der Bellen was declared the winner of the Austrian Presidential election this week. Yet grunts of discontentment could also be heard amongst the growing populist and nationalist voters across the continent, with far-right candidate Norbert Hofer losing by a slim margin. To gauge reaction on the ground, The Cipher Brief spoke with Georg Spiegelfeld-Schneeburg, a former center-right member of Austria’s Federal Council (Bundesrat) who served from 2003 – 2010.

The Cipher Brief: Far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) presidential candidate Norbert Hofer narrowly lost the election on Monday, being defeated by Green Party candidate Alexander Van der Bellen. What is your reaction? Are you surprised the race was so close?

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