Austrian president ends term, regrets British vote on EU
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Austrian President Heinz Fischer has ended his term, temporarily leaving official duties in the hands of the country's three parliamentary presidents pending a rerun of elections to succeed him.
One of the parliamentary presidents is right-winger Norbert Hofer, who narrowly lost to a left-leaning candidate in May voting. The rerun was ordered by Austria's Constitutional Court after claims by Hofer's party that the elections were skewed by significant irregularities.
Hofer has said a referendum on Austria's EU membership may be needed if the European Union fails to devolve some powers to national governments.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Fischer, in his farewell speech Friday, called Britain's EU exit "very regrettable and short-sighted," describing the European Union as "irreplaceable."