Only 6,000 are necessary, they must be submitted to the electoral authorities by Friday afternoon. Van der Bellen is the most promising Hofburg aspirant. When he formulated his goal, he called achieving an absolute majority in the first ballot.
The 78-year-old economist did not make the presentation at the Ministry of the Interior, but in front of his office on Ballhausplatz. “Life is too short to take ugly pictures,” he explained to journalists about the choice of location, because the electoral authority is currently under construction. He thanked everyone who had bothered to sign for him. “That’s really nice,” he said, “so the election campaign will start next week.”
Choice “no mowed Wiesn”
Van der Bellen named experience, independence and stability as his strengths and tried his hand at voter mobilization. “It’s not a mahte Wies’n,” he warned, the success will depend very much on the turnout. Again he stated that he would not face any TV discussions with his opponents. “No, the word political duel irritates me,” he said when asked. He and his supporters then unloaded the boxes of statements of support for the photographers and cameramen, only to hoist them back into the campaign van for delivery.
The candidates for the federal presidential election on October 9 must submit their nominations to the federal electoral authority no later than today, Friday, 5 p.m. In order for the proposal to be valid, it must be accompanied by at least 6,000 declarations of support – as well as a cost contribution of 3,600 euros. Most of the candidates have already signed.
According to their own statements, another six candidates also made it through the hurdle, and the ballot paper should be longer than ever with seven applicants. Most recently, the “Waldviertler” shoe manufacturer Heinrich Staudinger reported that he had enough signatures – more than 9,000, he announced on Thursday afternoon. He will present them to the Electoral Board on Friday afternoon. Beer party founder Dominik Wlazny (the first with just over 6,000 signatures), the former FPÖ and BZÖ politician and current blogger Gerald Grosz (more than 9,000), the FPÖ-nominated Ombudsman Walter Rosenkranz (18,500) have already submitted their candidacy. , MFG boss Michael Brunner (around 15,000) and the lawyer and ex-“Krone” columnist Tassilo Wallentin 18,000 signatures.
On Friday and Saturday, the declarations of support are checked and counted by the electoral authority. Candidates who have too little can apply for a grace period until Tuesday. The authority will decide on Saturday evening whether this will be granted. Numerous private individuals and representatives of smaller initiatives have also tried to get on the ballot – none of them is likely to make it.
Source: Nachrichten
