ÖVP shows unity

The political tones are getting rougher in the super election year

Ulram and Mikl-Leitner are unanimously opposed to significantly shortening the waiting period for neo-citizens.(Bild: ÖVP, Hans Klaus Techt)

In the super election year 2024, debates on important issues have been coming to a head for weeks. Now Burgenland's ÖVP party leader Markus Ulram and Lower Austria's governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner are pulling in the same direction.

As reported, the ÖVP Burgenland had already sent a clear signal at the end of last year with regard to the upcoming elections - from the National Council to the provincial parliament - as to which issues Turkish politics will focus on in particular. The People's Party wants to take a clear stand. Club chairman Markus Ulram and Johanna Mikl-Leitner, governor of Lower Austria, are now standing united against easier access to citizenship. "Austrian citizenship is the highest good that the Republic can grant. Changing the existing regulations is neither expedient nor necessary," explained Ulram.

ÖVP against initiative on citizenship
This clarification of the ÖVP's position was preceded by a working discussion with the Governor of Lower Austria, Mikl-Leitner. This was triggered by a move within the SPÖ to significantly shorten the waiting period for citizenship for applicants. In addition, children born in Austria should automatically receive citizenship and dual citizenship should generally be permitted again.

Harsh tones
"Obviously, the SPÖ wants to generate new voters through the careless allocation of voting rights. With the People's Party, there will be no devaluation of citizenship," says Ulram in a tough tone. Mikl-Leitner fully agrees with him. Citizenship was already a hot topic at the recent provincial governors' conference.

More and more anti-Semitic cases
In this context, Mikl-Leitner also referred to the increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Europe: "We will not accept this. Anti-Semitism has no place in our country - regardless of whether it comes from the left, the right or Muslims." On the initiative of Lower Austria - supported by the federal states - Mikl-Leitner wants all pupils and anyone seeking citizenship to visit a Jewish museum or memorial at least once.