Declaration of war on the right

NEOS: EU citizens should register to vote

Helmut Brandstätter is entering the race as the NEOS lead candidate.

(Bild: Michael Indra / SEPA.Media / picturedesk.com)

On Thursday, the NEOS called on EU citizens living in Austria and eligible to vote in the EU elections on June 9 to register. The aim is to "shape Europe together".

The NEOS will launch a social media campaign for this purpose, emphasized Secretary General Douglas Hoyos and EU lead candidate Helmut Brandstätter together at a press conference.

All EU citizens who have their main residence in Austria and wish to vote in the European elections in Austria must be registered in the European voter registry of an Austrian municipality. This must be done by application by the deadline of March 26 at the latest.

Germans are the largest group
According to Hoyos, around one in ten of the nine million people living in Austria are affected, i.e. around 900,000 people. The largest group are Germans, followed by Romanians, Hungarians and Croats. The aim of the pink information campaign is for all 900,000 people affected to register, said Hoyos.

Brandsätter reminded the audience that there are only 100 days to go until the elections and once again drummed up support for the European Union. The goal of the NEOS is a "United States of Europe". However, this would be opposed by right-wing populists such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, said Brandstätter: "They want to take away our vote. But we will actively oppose this." The Hungarians living here in Austria would also be pleased that they live in an open democracy.

Challenge to right-wing populists
"On 9 June, we must ensure that we do not allow ourselves to be put under pressure by right-wing populists," emphasized the pink top candidate. The NEOS stand for more direct democracy in Europe, for example for the direct election of the Commission President and for a smaller and more powerful Commission.