| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | |
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1 | # | Question | Answer | Answer Name | ||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | 2 | A question which I’m hoping you will cover, is how to register to vote (new Austrian and American dual citizen asking) | There is a form and guidance available at this location: https://passport-to-austria.jimdosite.com/resources/ In essence you fill in the relatively straightforward form for Austrians living abroad and email it as an attachment to the authority with a copy of your passport, ID card or citizenship certificate. Most ancestors would have been resident in Vienna, so this information goes to the Vienna voter registration department wahl@ma62.wien.gv.at | Nik Pollinger | ||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | 3 | is the Nazis are permiting to be orgenize as a party to run to the parlament? | No, openly national socialist parties are banned by law in Austria. Of course, there are parties with radical right or even extreme right elements in their ideology. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
4 | 5 | What is the reason for the rise in popularity for FPO? | There are multiple reasons: Covid is a big factor (the FPÖ was the only vaccine-sceptical party), as is anti-immigrant sentiment and economic disruptions due to inflation. Also, the FPÖ is the only (larger) party questioning the EU sanctions against Russia, so it has a monopoly positions on several issues that give it the support of a substantial part of the electorate. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | 6 | Liked the lattice! Are there any current Voter Advice Applications that it would be good for us to check out? | There is this one here: https://ivote.at/, but Eric's paper (https://www.derstandard.at/) will have one up and running in summer that should be very good (full disclosure: I'm involved in designing it). | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | 9 | Have any of the parties indicated a desire to join NATO? | Not openly. The only party that voices some criticism of Austrian neutrality is Neos. But not even they are openly pro-NATO. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | 13 | How many parties can form a coalition? | As many as required, there's no formal limit. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | 14 | What is the moslem population in Austia and how strong is their voting ? | It is a little over 8% of the population, but many are not citizens. Politically, there is some indication in polling data that they are disproportionally supportive of the Social Democrats. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | 16 | Amazing presentations! A few questions from the first 2 presentations: Are the Neos as far right economically as Laurenz suggests? Is SPO ideology and platform close to US Democrats? Why are the FPO on the rise? | Personally, I would put Neos somewhat further to the left on the economic axis than the experts in the survey did. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | 16 | Amazing presentations! A few questions from the first 2 presentations: Are the Neos as far right economically as Laurenz suggests? Is SPO ideology and platform close to US Democrats? Why are the FPO on the rise? | The SPÖ is somewhat comparable to the US Democrats, but there are limits to the comparison. Traditionally, the SPÖ is very close to the trade union movement and has lots of personal and organizational overlap with unions (more than the Democrats have). Also, its electorate is older and somewhat less ethnically diverse. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | 16 | Amazing presentations! A few questions from the first 2 presentations: Are the Neos as far right economically as Laurenz suggests? Is SPO ideology and platform close to US Democrats? Why are the FPO on the rise? | The FPÖ have positioned themselves very cleverly during the past years in several crises: Covid, Russia's invasion, inflation, immigration, ... often taking positions that other parties wouldn't take (vaccine skepticism, aversion to sanctions on Russia). That brought them into a monopoly position with parts of the electorate, thus attracting many voters. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | 17 | Since the FPÖ is going to double its power - I think we would love to hear what they actully stand for... | It's most important positions are: strongly restricting immigration (especially the flow of asylum seekers), favoring a more traditional view of gender roles and the family, strong skepticism of European integration, and taking a more pro-Russian position while upholding neutrality in foreign policy. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | 18 | Sorry to ask, but does the FPÖ dislike jews? Is Austria now ok for jews? Would you say it is better than the UK? | You will mostly hear pro-Israel and pro-Jewish community positions from all Austrian parties. Of course, the FPÖ has a long history of antisemitism, but has tried to move away from this legacy in the past 5-10 years. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | 19 | I'm curious... were they for or against giving citizenship for people like me? | For: the FPO backed the 2019 citizenship law, as did all main parties | Nik Pollinger | ||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | 20 | Do we know how did the austrian moslems vote in the past? | Moslems are 8% of the population, but many are not citizens. The ones who are participate in lower numbers, and those that vote disproportionately support the SPÖ (social democrats). | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | 21 | Where would be a good place to look at a more detailed manifest of each of the parties? | There are some resources here - note the EU tool to find the right party for you: https://passport-to-austria.jimdosite.com/resources/ | Nik Pollinger | ||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | 22 | Do any of the parties have formal opinions about supporting Israel? Not necessarily in the current war, but in general as well | There may be a good answer here in this piece: https://viennabriefing.substack.com/p/austria-israel-history-relations | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | 23 | Since 7th Oct were there any antisemitic events in Austria like in many countries? | There were a few, vandalizing of the jewish cemetary, many threats and some physical assaults, but less than in other EU countries | Dr. Eric Frey | ||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | 25 | Which is the “People’s Party?” am lost! | That's the main center-right/Christian democratic party (ÖVP). Sorry for the confusion. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | 26 | In general, the Austrian political system seems very similar to the Israeli system, although less fragmented. In the last thirty years, we have seen a deterioration in the power of the Knesset (legislative branch) compared to the executive branch, and a rise in corrupted and authoritarian governments. Except for the judicial branch and the EU conventions, what are the democratic protections in the Austrian system? | The EU and the judiciary (esp. the Constitutional Court) are really the main safeguards. You could argue that federalism is another one, because not all powers are centralized at the national level. Also, coalition government is, frankly, a constraint on executive power - simply because every coalition party has an interest in not letting the other party/parties amalgamate too much power ... | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | 28 | Is there a jewish comunity in Salzburg? | Yes, a very small one. but they have a synagogue and public support | Dr. Eric Frey | ||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | 29 | What are the iniials of the Freedom party? | FPÖ | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | 32 | Which party would be equivalent to the Labour Party and Lib Dems in UK? | For Labour it would be the Social Democrats (SPÖ). The LibDems are somewhere between Neos and the SPÖ, possibly the Greens. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
24 | 33 | What are the different parties' views on social policies like abortion or same-sex marriage, for example? | SPÖ, Greens, and Neos are unequivocally pro abortion rights and marriage equality, ÖVP and FPÖ less so, but same-sex marriage has been established by a Constitutional Court decision, so it's very difficult to overturn. Some parts of the ÖVP (and FPÖ) have signalled they would be willing to restrict access to abortion, but this is likely to meet a very strong public opinion backlash, so my guess would be that these issues will not be on the political agenda for a while ... | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
25 | 34 | Will we receive contact information for the speakers? I would love to get in touch with them when my family goes to Austria as we would like to spend time learning more about Jewish life in Austria. Thank you! | Eric Frey's progressive community Or Chadasch can be reached at office@orchadasch.at. The larger IKG orthodox community can be reached at infopoint@ikg-wien.at, which is the tours-specific email address | |||||||||||||||||||||||
26 | 35 | Do the different parties take any position on the current situation in Israel? | live answered | Nik Pollinger | ||||||||||||||||||||||
27 | 36 | Is it possible to comment on how driven about action on the climate and biosphere crises are the SPÖ compared to The Greens? | Less so. The new SPÖ leader (Andreas Babler) is definitely more pro-environment than past leaders, but the tendency of the party is to subordinate environmental goals to their agenda of economic equality and redistribution. So, environmental policies that may have detrimental economic consequences for working-class and middle-class people are sometimes opposed by the SPÖ. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
28 | 37 | Do national election trends mirror themselves locally in municipal elections? While only citizens can vote in national elections, I'm under the impression that Austria (Vienna, in particular) has a growing non-citizen population, and I'm curious to know if/how their participation in the political process conforms or diverges from that national scale. Thank you for organizing this webinar! | They partly do, but outside the larger cities, the number of parties running is often smaller because some smaller parties have difficulty finding candidates in small towns and villages (there are more than 2000 municipalities in Austria). Non-citizens who are EU citizens can vote in municipal elections, but we don't know much about their voting behavior. Only in Vienna, we know that they tilt a little bit further to the left than citizens, but turn out in lower numbers. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
29 | 38 | How can ÖVP be both stongly “philosemitic” and the only main party to have *not* excluded the possibility of forming a coalition with the FPÖ? Or have I misunderstood? | Good point, I believe that this is a real inconsistency in their program. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
30 | 39 | What makes the FPO be categorised as radical right? I know the graph near the beginning is not perfect perhaps but it aligned FPO near the Tories or Republicans which are not far right parties and mostly mainstream traditional conservative. | Well, political scientists would say that the FPÖ has nativism at the core of its ideology (i.e. a xenophobic version of nationalism, as expressed by its strong anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic positions). Also, nowadays there are strong nativist tendencies in the Tory party and among Republicans, but it's maybe not as much a core element of these parties' ideology. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
31 | 40 | I've heard comments to the effect that Austrian politics today is (relatively) pro-Russian, compared to other major European countries. Is is possible to comment on that. Are things likely to change much if the coalition includes the SPÖ rather than ÖVP? | Austria has always been pro-Russia relative to non-neutral countries in Europe. This is true of both, SPÖ and ÖVP. There has been some rethinking in the recent past, but in my view the strongest opposition to Russia and Putin in Austria comes from the Greens and Neos. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
32 | 41 | My question is: if the current president won’t appoint an FPÖ member as Chancellor, how is that democratic? | Well, the president is directly elected by a majority of the voters and the constitution gives him the right to appoint whoever he wants. But of course, he would deviate from decades of precedent set by earlier presidents. There is nothing in the constitution that says that the largest party needs to supply the Chancellor, but it has typically been the case. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
33 | 42 | recent voting percentages in Austria were low any prediction to the coming election? | Probably similar to last time (~75%), but very hard to predict with any degree of precision ... | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
34 | 43 | Eric Frey’s sound droppoed out for me, so I would love to ask him to compare the SPO, Neos and US Dems on socila and economic policy. Thanks. | live answered | Nik Pollinger | ||||||||||||||||||||||
35 | 44 | Are there any significant differences in how the different parties have responded to the Israel/Hamas war? | live answered | Nik Pollinger | ||||||||||||||||||||||
36 | 45 | Would the Greens enter a coalition with the Socialists? Why did they enter a coalition with the People's Party? | The SPÖ would be the most natural coalition partner for the Greens, but both parties have never had a combined majority. If they had one, my bet would be that they would form a coalition in zero time. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
37 | 46 | Where physically can we vote for the austrian parliament, and for the eu parliament? | You can only physically vote if you are in Austria and you have an Austrian residential address | |||||||||||||||||||||||
38 | 47 | My memory is poor on this. Was it Kurz who has been accused of receiving money from Russia? And if so is the OVP also pro Russia? | No, Kurz was accused of different things, but his government with the FPÖ was certainly very pro-Russia (his own words). The ÖVP has a strong business wing that entertains business links to Eastern Europe including Russia, so there have been parts of the ÖVP that have been sceptical of the sanctions, but they have not had a strong impact on party policy recently. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
39 | 48 | If someone is against the FPO, is there a strategy to steer votes to a single party so that it might be stronger against the FPO? | Well, it's unlikely that voters will coordinate in any meaningful way. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
40 | 49 | Good Evening When we vote in the Austrian elections and mark a cross in the top column, is this a general vote for the Party - and they decide who the individual politician will be? And how many crosses can we mark in the boxes next to the names ? | You can write in one name / tick one name for each of the three levels on the ballot (regional, state, national). But typically, there are not enough preferential votes for one person to change the candidate order on the list. So, it's mostly the parties' ordering of candidates that determines who gets a seat. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
41 | 51 | I live in England. I now have Austrian joint citizenship and I want to register to vote in Austria. I have what I think is the correct form but I don't know where to send it! My family connections were with Salzburg, but there seem to be several governmetn offices in the city. How can I tell which office is the address to send my form to? (The form even asks for the postcode - help!) | The election authority's address is Saint-Julien-Straße 20 5024 Salzburg. Its email address, to which the form can be emailed is wahlamt@stadt-salzburg.at | |||||||||||||||||||||||
42 | 52 | Can you elaborate on the two new parties (communists & beer)? | The communists are, as you would think, as far-left anti-capitalist party favoring strong state intervention, even nationalization, and a generous welfare state. They are also socially liberal. The Beer Party is much more difficult to pin down, because they haven't really communicated much about their platform. They are broadly considered to be left-of-center, but with details remaining murky. They used to be a joke party advocating for beer fountains in public and similar stuff ... | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
43 | 53 | How do the parties fund their election campaigns please? | Overwhelmingly through state subsidies, the ÖVP and SPÖ partly through membership fees. Donations are severly restricted and cannot thereform finance large campaign budgets. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
44 | 54 | Advice on how to register to vote (the last section of the agenda) is very important to me because it is difficult to find this out from here in the UK. Will we have enough time to cover this clearly | There is a form and guidance available at this location: https://passport-to-austria.jimdosite.com/resources/ In essence you fill in the relatively straightforward form for Austrians living abroad and email it as an attachment to the authority with a copy of your passport, ID card or citizenship certificate. Most ancestors would have been resident in Vienna, so this information goes to the Vienna voter registration department wahl@ma62.wien.gv.at | |||||||||||||||||||||||
45 | 55 | Since I am considering retiring to Austria, I am curious to know which parties emphasize policies directed toward older citizens. | My hunch is that the SPÖ would be the party most strongly defending the existing (and generous) pension system. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
46 | 56 | How are the overseas voters distributed as between US, UK, Israel etc? | We only know the location of the 27,800 new citizens (end of February 2024 figures). We don’t know how many are voting age or how many will vote. 12758 Israel (plus perhaps 3000 who applied in Vienna directly via solicitors, who tend to be Israeli), 5241 USA, 4079 UK, 828 Argentina, 677 Australia, 364 Canada, 289 Mexico... | |||||||||||||||||||||||
47 | 57 | I have another EU citizenship (as well as Austrian). Do countries’ delegation to the EU parliament have more or less influence? I.e: does an EU citizens vote in EU parliamentary elections bear more weight by voting through one EU member state EU parliamentary delegation over another member state’s delegation? | No, I don't think so. In the grand scheme, it does not matter. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
48 | 58 | Do you have any information or recourses on how to register to vote as someone without an Austrian address? | There is a form and guidance available at this location: https://passport-to-austria.jimdosite.com/resources/ In essence you fill in the relatively straightforward form for Austrians living abroad and email it as an attachment to the authority with a copy of your passport, ID card or citizenship certificate. Most ancestors would have been resident in Vienna, so this information goes to the Vienna voter registration department wahl@ma62.wien.gv.at | |||||||||||||||||||||||
49 | 59 | If I want to start tracking (English or German - doesn't matter...) - can you recommend news web sites / spotify podcasts so I can follow developments and opinions...? | https://viennabriefing.substack.com is quite good | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
50 | 59 | If I want to start tracking (English or German - doesn't matter...) - can you recommend news web sites / spotify podcasts so I can follow developments and opinions...? | Inside Austria podcast also worth listening to (German) | Nik Pollinger | ||||||||||||||||||||||
51 | 62 | Are there any political party efforts to ban ritual slaughter (kosher, halal) or the importation thereof, similar to what recently happened in Belgium? If so, which parties/groups are seeking to advance it? | The FPÖ has had this as plank in its manifesto in the past, but mostly targeted towards Austria's Muslim population. I haven't heard that positions in years, though ... | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
52 | 63 | I couldn’t see anywhere on form where to send it! | Most ancestors would have been resident in Vienna, so this information goes to the Vienna voter registration department wahl@ma62.wien.gv.at | Nik Pollinger | ||||||||||||||||||||||
53 | 65 | I understand that question number one requires the name of the municipality and the corresponding postal code for the application. How do I know what is the postal code? | The postal code that can be used for ancestors from Vienna is 1080, the postal code for the MA62 department, which handles voter registration | Nik Pollinger | ||||||||||||||||||||||
54 | 68 | I registered when I became a citizen and received papers for a previous election, but didn't vote. Do I need to reregister, or will I receive papers? How can I find out if I am already registered? | You do not need to re-register because your registration stays valid for 10 years. You should automatically receive the new ballot papers in mid May. If you need to establish your status, you can email wahl@ma62.wien.gv.at, assuming your relative was from Vienna and this is where you registered | |||||||||||||||||||||||
55 | 69 | I will be in Vienna in April. Can I register then and where? | Assuming you remain an overseas resident, you need to follow the process for overseas resident Austrians, outlined in guidance here: https://passport-to-austria.jimdosite.com/resources/ If you have residence in Austria, the authorities automatically enter you onto the electoral roll and voting takes place on presentation of ID on polling day. It is advisable to check with the electoral department of your local authority if you have any questions about your enrollment. In Vienna this is wahl@ma62.wien.gv.at | |||||||||||||||||||||||
56 | 70 | if I live in Israel, it is not a European country, where can I register? Vienna online? | There is a form and guidance available at this location: https://passport-to-austria.jimdosite.com/resources/ In essence you fill in the relatively straightforward form for Austrians living abroad and email it as an attachment to the authority with a copy of your passport, ID card or citizenship certificate. Most ancestors would have been resident in Vienna, so this information goes to the Vienna voter registration department wahl@ma62.wien.gv.at | |||||||||||||||||||||||
57 | 73 | I live part time in Schneebergland, Nieder Oesterreich. How do I find out the municipality where I should register to vote. How do I find the website where I can register? | Assuming you remain an overseas resident, you need to follow the process for overseas resident Austrians, outlined in guidance here: https://passport-to-austria.jimdosite.com/resources/ If you have residence in Austria, the authorities automatically enter you onto the electoral roll and voting takes place on presentation of ID on polling day. It is advisable to check with the electoral department of your local authority if you have any questions about your enrollment. In Nieder Oesterreich this is post.ivw2wahlen@noel.gv.at | |||||||||||||||||||||||
58 | 74 | Could you kindly point us to the registration form (or forms) again? I am asking since the link supplied in the email seems to be broken… Could you perhaps guide us through the process in terms of the registration steps (i.e. where to start, what to google, who to email, etc.)? Many thanks for organizing this webinar, it has been extremely illuminating! | There is a form and guidance available at this location: https://passport-to-austria.jimdosite.com/resources/ In essence you fill in the relatively straightforward form for Austrians living abroad and email it as an attachment to the authority with a copy of your passport, ID card or citizenship certificate. Most ancestors would have been resident in Vienna, so this information goes to the Vienna voter registration department wahl@ma62.wien.gv.at | |||||||||||||||||||||||
59 | 76 | Is the "municipalty" the city or the Land? | It's the "Gemeinde". Vienna is both a municipality and a Land. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
60 | 80 | In the case of Salzburg, which is the "Gemeinde? Is it the City or the Land? | It's the city/town/village, not the Land. | Prof. Dr. Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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