The relief was palpable in Europe after last weekend’s Austrian presidential elections. Breaking the far-right’s winning streak in 2016, Alexander van der Bellen, former chairman of the Green Party, defeated the hard right Freedom Party (FPÖ)’s candidate Norbert Hofer 54 to 46 percent. The sentiment of politicians and commentators across the continent was captured by the German daily Die Welt, which opened with a picture of van der Bellen and one word: “Phew!”

The result came as a surprise to many, as many pollsters had predicted a narrow victory for Norbert Hofer, the far-right candidate. It ended an unprecedented campaign, symptomatic of a political system in turmoil. It was the first time in Austria’s postwar history that neither of the traditional large parties – the Social Democrat SPÖ and the conservative ÖVP – managed to bring their respective candidates through the first round of the election in April.

It was also the longest election campaign in Austrian history. The second ballot, won with the narrowest of margins by Van der Bellen against Hofer in June, was annulled by the Constitutional Court in a controversial decision, after an appeal by the FPÖ. In October, the rerun of the second vote had to be postponed in an almost comical logistical snafu, involving German-manufactured-yet-dysfunctional envelopes meant for postal voting. In the end, the campaign lasted for almost a year, leaving many voters frustrated, and the campaigning parties’ coffers empty.