Austria’s president seeks reelection after turbulent term

BERLIN (AP) — Austria’s 78-year-old president says he will seek reelection later this year, following a term that has seen him pilot the Alpine country through repeated political upheaval. Alexander Van der Bellen, a liberal politician who once led the Green party, said on Twitter that Austria and Europe face turbulent times because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and economic aftershocks of both of them and the challenges of fighting climate change. It’s not yet clear who he will face in the election, whose date hasn’t been set. The Austrian president, who has a six-year term, is largely ceremonial but plays a prominent role in times of domestic political crisis.