Austrian lawmakers elect first far-right parliament president

Austrian lawmakers elected a far-right politician as parliament president for the first time. In the assembly's opening session following last month's elections, Walter Rosenkranz from the far-right Freedom Party was elected with 100 out of 162 valid votes that were cast in a secret ballot.

Rosenkranz has been widely criticised for being a member of a far-right student fraternity known for its strident pan-German nationalism. In a speech after the vote, Rosenkranz dismisses accusations he poses a threat to the Jewish community as "lies".