There is no end to speculations about the run-up to the National Assembly elections. According to media reports, a majority of the state leaders of the People's Party were in favor of this at a meeting held at the President's House on Sunday evening. Salzburg's state governor Wilfried Hassleier (ÖVP) is against going forward, as are other ÖVP state leaders. “The election date is in the fall. We are not participating in speculation,” his spokesman told APA Tuesday afternoon.
On “Contents of Chancellor Karl Neuhammer's Austrian plan and government work until the fall”. They “do not want to participate” in speculation about an early election date, APA said in a statement in response to the request.
National Council elections in the summer will require a fresh election result
The usual date for the National Council elections would be in the fall. A new election result would be needed by early March, according to the deadline, to go to the polls before the summer. In principle, this first requires a majority in a plenary session to decide on early dissolution of parliament and holding new elections. Theoretically, the National Council can also be dissolved by the federal president on the recommendation of the government, but this never happened in the Second Republic.
After a fresh election is decided, the central government must announce the election through a regulation in the federal gazette. It shall have an election day, which is determined by the federal government in agreement with the main body of the National Council. In addition, the regulation must have a deadline, which must be the eighty-second day after election day. Various timelines like appointment of District Returning Officers, assessors and constitution of Election Officers start running from him. But he also determines the various requirements for the right to vote, eligibility or to collect declarations of support from minor parties.
The result of the new election will take about three months before the first election. So if you want to vote on the last weekend of May (Sunday 26th May), the deadline is 5th March. The first weekend of May (Sunday 5th May) will be the deadline for voting, with a deadline of 13th February. If you want to elect the National Council at the same time as the EU elections, the deadline is March 19.
A new election has not been confirmed
There has been no official confirmation from the ruling parties about the “new electoral pact” between Turquoise and Green, which has been rumored several times in media reports. According to a report by “Standard”, the ÖVP and the Greens have agreed that new elections in the summer, if so, will only be called on a coalition agreement. This was intended to prevent the so-called free play of forces in the National Council in the last weeks before the elections and to prevent the Turquoise-Green plans from changing.
Combined National Council and EU elections are possible
While it is legally possible to combine National Council elections and EU elections, such a super election on Sunday would pose a huge administrative challenge, experts say. There are also different groups of eligible voters and deadlines for two nationwide elections.
ÖVP country leaders keep a low profile
VPs of other states of the federation also appeared cautiously on APA broadcast on Tuesday. They spoke in favor of a regular election date or kept a low profile or were nominated to the federal party.
(Them: APA)
