The Austrian government on Monday announced that its October 2 presidential election has to be postponed because of the poor quality of the adhesive on postal vote envelopes, AFP reported. Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said the defective envelopes can be "easily opened and closed even after 20-25 minutes".
He added that the possible new dates – either November 27 or December 4 – will be announced once the Parliament approves the postponement request. The Austrian police are investigating the matter, BBC reported.
Former Green party leader Alexander van der Bellen said the faulty glue was a metaphor for bigger problems in Austria, reported The Guardian. "What we need most of all is for us to stick together," he added. Chairperson of the Freedom Party Heinz-Christian Strache, however, dubbed it as a conspiracy against his party.
A re-run of the May election was ordered after the Freedom Party challenged the result. Austria has been without a president since Heinz Fischer resigned on July 8.
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