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Austria bars Turkish economy minister over rally plans

Austria has blocked Turkish economy minister Nihat Zeybekci from entering the country to join a rally marking the anniversary of last year's failed coup attempt in Turkey.

Published: 10 July 2017 08:59 CEST
Updated: 10 July 2017 15:41 CEST
Austria bars Turkish economy minister over rally plans
Turkish minister Nihat Zeybekci. Photo: Marius Becker/dpa/AFP

“He has been barred because his visit was not planned as part of a bilateral exchange, but was about his public appearance at an event marking the coup attempt,” Austria foreign ministry spokesman Thomas Schnoell told AFP.

Zeybekci's attendance at the “large event” would have represented a “danger for public order”, Schnoell added.

“The Turkish government wants to exert its political influence in Austria. We won't allow that,” Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern told Oe1 public radio.

Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu hit back at Vienna in a statement, accusing the Austrian authorities of demonstrating they were “not sincere in defending democratic values”.

The rally is scheduled to take place in Vienna on Sunday.

It is being organized by the Austrian branch of the Union of European Turkish Democrats (UETD), a pro-Ankara group present in several European Union countries.

UETD spokesman Ramazan Aktas called Vienna's move “undemocratic”.

The Turkish economy ministry said it had not made a formal request to organize an event to commemorate the July 15th failed putsch in Austria.

The ministry added in a statement there had been plans for Zeybekci to meet in the near future with the Austrian foreign and economic affairs ministers but made no separate demand.

Austria's move came three days after the Dutch government warned Turkey against sending its deputy premier, Tugrul Turkes, to address a rally in the eastern Netherlands this week to mark the abortive coup.

Ties between Ankara and the European Union have been strained over the crackdown that followed the July 15th 2016 attempted coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Earlier this year, several countries including Austria and Germany banned pro-Ankara rallied ahead of a controversial referendum in April on granting Erdogan sweeping powers.

Turkish ministers had been heading to Europe to whip up support for a “yes” vote among millions of Turkey's voters who live abroad.

Some 360,000 people of Turkish origin live in Austria, including 117,000 Turkish citizens. Many are believed to be pro-Erdogan supporters whose vote helped him win the referendum.

POLITICS

Why 1.5 million people can’t vote in Austria’s crucial federal election

Almost one in five people in Austria won’t have a say in the upcoming election, mainly due to the country’s restrictive citizenship laws.

Published: 11 September 2024 10:15 CEST
Updated: 15 September 2024 08:19 CEST
Why 1.5 million people can't vote in Austria's crucial federal election

As Austria prepares for its upcoming National Council elections on September 29th, nearly 1.5 million people living in the country will be unable to participate despite being of voting age, Austrian media has reported.

This group, which represents around 19 percent of the population aged 16 and over, is largely composed of residents who do not hold Austrian citizenship.

While Austria has some of the most restrictive citizenship laws in the world, the election will still see some new eligible voters—particularly descendants of Nazi regime victims—casting their ballots for the first time, thanks to a 2019 amendment to the citizenship law that made the naturalisation process less restrictive for these cases. Among them is British actor Stephen Fry, whose grandmother fled Austria to escape Nazi persecution.

READ ALSO: Austria improves nationality law for descendants of Nazi victims

Over the past two decades, the number of residents not eligible to vote has more than doubled, from around 9 percent in 2002 to 19 percent today. Of the 1.5 million residents unable to vote, about half are citizens of other EU countries. While they are allowed to vote in EU elections, they are excluded from Austria’s national elections.

This growing number of non-voters contrasts with the shrinking pool of eligible voters. Despite having around 6.3 million eligible voters, Austria’s stringent naturalisation process means that only a small fraction of its long-term foreign residents can (or want to) attain citizenship and the right to vote.

READ ALSO: What makes Austrian citizenship so hard to get?

Who is eligible for citizenship in Austria?

Currently in Austria, if someone wants to take up citizenship via naturalisation they have to undergo an extensive and expensive process and fulfil specific criteria.

Generally, there needs to be at least 10 years of lawful and uninterrupted residence in Austria. But there are exceptions for those with citizenship of an EU or EEA country, those born in Austria, or married to an Austrian, for example.

The main hurdles, however, include having to give up any other citizenships, as Austria doesn’t allow dual citizenship in naturalisation cases with few exceptions, and paying a high fee, which depends on the municipality.

What’s at stake?

The elections will determine the composition of the National Council, Austria’s parliament. The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) is currently leading in the polls, followed by the centre-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). The results could significantly change the country’s political landscape.

While many are still unable to vote, Austria’s decision to grant citizenship to descendants of Nazi regime victims has (slightly) expanded the voter base. 

Under this provision, around 27,800 people, mostly living abroad, have regained Austrian citizenship. The Foreign Ministry has encouraged these new citizens to participate in the elections.

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