Everything you need to know about 'Austria's Donald Trump' - the far-right candidate about to become president

After moving into politics, Hofer worked his way through the ranks of the Austrian Freedom Party (AFP), a right-wing populist party led by Heinz-Christian Strache. Hofer was a close advisor to Strache in his early years with the AFP and served as a provincial secretary for the Burgenland province for nearly 10 years.

Hofer's key message is one of immigration control. Last year, roughly 90,000 migrants settled in Austria, a number Hofer sees as far too high. He has promised to try and curb further migration from outside of Europe and has also reportedly vowed to carry out the deportation of Muslims.

Hofer has also advocated repatriating the Italian territory of South Tyrol, which was once part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Hofer proposed the idea in a speech in 2015 and has since said that one way of achieving this could be to give people in the area dual Italian and Austrian nationality.

Hofer is a huge advocate for guns, carrying a 9mm Glock pistol around with him on the campaign trail.

He has said that he understands the increase in gun ownership in Austria, "given current uncertainties," and says that gun ownership is a "natural consequence" of immigration. It is reported that Hofer has previously posted images on social media of him at a firing range with his family. Business Insider was unable to find these pictures.

Hofer walks with a stick following an accident in a hang-glider.

Hofer has been described by some commentators as the "Austrian Donald Trump" for his strong stance on immigration, populist politics, and promises to put "Austria First," a slogan that it has been suggested, draws inspiration from Trump's famous "Make America Great Again" battle cry.

While there are big comparisons to be seen between Hofer and Trump, the Austrian is nowhere near as fiery in his rhetoric. He is famously soft spoken, speaking quietly and thoughtfully.

He also denies that he was not a right-wing politician. According to the Guardian, Hofer said in a recent interview that he is "to the left of the US Democrats." He added that Austria is lucky not to have an extremist party like Greece’s Golden Dawn, which has in the past been accused of racism and xenophobia, and described as a Neo-Nazi party.

Hofer has portrayed himself as the "Stimme der Vernunft" or the "Voice of reason."

It has been suggested that Hofer would be the first far-right head of state in Europe since the end of World War II. While this is not strictly true because of Spain's Francisco Franco, who ruled the country as a fascist dictator until 1975, Hofer is by far the most right-wing politician to be elected to office in many decades.

Austria's presidency is a ceremonial role, and the most important power held by the president is the ability to dissolve Austria's parliament. But Hofer has already said he would try to extend his powers.

He vowed that he would accompany Austria's chancellor, Christian Kern, to European Union meetings, something generally reserved only for the chancellor. Hofer said he would also refuse to sign the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership deal, as he believes it would infringe on Austria's sovereignty.

While Hofer is hugely popular, he also has many opponents. Last week, protestors took to the streets of Vienna to oppose Hofer. Demonstrators compared Hofer to Austrian-born dictator Adolf Hitler, carrying placards that read "No Nazi in the Hofburg (Austria's presidential residence.)"

One of the biggest concerns in some circles about Hofer's potential election is that it could help to galvanise other far-right parties across Europe. Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's Front National is expected to reach the second round of next year's presidential election, while in Germany, Alternative for Deutschland — an anti-Islamic party — has also experienced a gain in popularity.

The Netherlands has also seen a rise in the popularity of the Party of Freedom, which now tops the polls. The party is headed by Geert Wilders, who was banned from entering the UK for his role in creating anti-Islamic film Fitna.