Timetable is set

What to watch out for in the EU elections on June 9

On Sunday, June 9, the Austrian members of the EU Parliament will be elected (see video above). If you are not at home, you can apply for a polling card in writing by June 5. You can apply in person two days longer.

A completed polling card can then be sent by post or handed in at any polling station in the country. Austrians who are 16 years old on election day at the latest - even if they live abroad - and EU citizens who have their main residence in Austria are eligible to vote. According to Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP), almost 6.4 million people are invited to cast their vote.

The government has set March 26 as the deadline. Deadlines such as registration in the electoral register and the collection of declarations of support for parties are based on this date.

What the voter registration means
This means that anyone who has recently moved abroad or come to Austria must apply for registration before March 26. EU citizens living here can decide whether they want to vote for Austrian MPs or those from their country of origin. If someone discovers that he or she is incorrectly registered, an objection can be lodged until mid-May.

Here is an overview of the EU-wide top candidates.

Parties that are not already in the National Council or the EU Parliament need 2600 declarations of support to be allowed to stand. Eligible voters can sign until April 26. The parties must then submit their election proposal to the Federal Electoral Authority by this date at the latest.

Austria's best-known top candidates are Reinhold Lopatka (ÖVP), Andreas Schieder (SPÖ), Harald Vilimsky (FPÖ), Lena Schilling (Greens) and Helmut Brandstätter (NEOS) (see video above). A total of 20 (instead of the previous 19) seats are up for grabs.

EU-wide voting is possible between June 6 and 9. The National Council elections are planned for the fall, said Karner in reference to speculation that the EU elections in Austria could be combined with these.