Austria has voted narrowly against electing a rightwing nationalist as president after a closely fought campaign that highlighted the political fallout from Europe’s immigration crisis.

Norbert Hofer, the Freedom party candidate, was vying to become Europe’s first far-right head of state since the second world war. But he was defeated by Alexander Van der Bellen, a Green politician who ran as an independent and took 50.3 per cent of the vote, according to official results announced on Monday.

Although Mr Hofer’s defeat will come as a relief in other European capitals the narrow margin was concerning — particularly for those looking to Austria’s election as an early warning of the rising influence of rightwing, nationalist and populist movements across Europe.