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POLITICS

Russia expels Austrian diplomats in tit-for-tat move

Moscow said Thursday it was expelling four Austrian diplomats after Vienna expelled four employees of Russia's foreign missions in Austria, with tensions soaring over the Ukraine conflict.

Published: 16 February 2023 14:52 CET
Russia expels Austrian diplomats in tit-for-tat move
Austria's Heldenplatz, the area in front of the Hofgburg Palace, in Vienna. (Photo by Simon Berger on Unsplash)

The foreign ministry said the expulsion of its diplomats had been an “unfriendly and unjustified step” that “causes serious damage to bilateral relations, which are already in crisis due to the actions of the Austrian side”.

Austria and other EU nations have expelled dozens of Russian diplomats since Moscow launched a military campaign in Ukraine, with Russia reciprocating the measures.

The ministry said it summoned Austria’s ambassador to Moscow and informed him that four employees of Austria’s embassy in Russia were “declared persona non grata”.

READ ALSO: ‘A spy paradise’: Austria confirmed as a location for global espionage

They are given until February 23 to leave the country.

“The ambassador’s attention was also drawn to the emerging difficulties with obtaining visas for official Russian delegations travelling to Vienna,” the ministry added in its statement.

Earlier in February, Vienna said it was expelling four Russian diplomats, including two accredited with the United Nations in Vienna, saying they acted “in a manner incompatible with their diplomatic status”.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Why isn’t Austria in NATO?

Austria said in response the decision “comes as no surprise.”

“We regret this unjustified decision by Russia, which has no factual basis whatsoever,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Diplomatic expulsions are rare in neutral Austria, which enjoyed close relations with Russia before Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine.

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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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