After Verdict Against FPÖ Candidate for Vienna Election: Criminal Record Check to Become Mandatory in the Future

The FPÖ candidate for the Vienna election was, as first reported by the "Standard", sentenced in December 2024 to 17 months on probation under the Nazi Prohibition Act. Investigators found, in addition to items related to the Nazis, chat messages in certain WhatsApp groups that proved connections to neo-Nazis. He also had contact with the far-right Identitarians. Despite this conviction, the Freedom Party member ran in an electable position in Vienna-Donaustadt.

Currently no mandatory criminal record check for Vienna election candidates

The man, who has since been excluded from the FPÖ, will continue to appear on the ballots. According to the Vienna Municipal Election Regulations, he is actually excluded from candidacy. This is because anyone who has been sentenced to a suspended prison sentence of more than one year is not allowed to run as a candidate for the municipal council and district representative elections for six months from the finality of the judgment. However, the municipal election regulations currently do not provide for a mandatory criminal record check regarding a criminal conviction of candidates for the Vienna election, as emphasized in the office of Election City Councilor Czernohorszky. This is now set to change: A corresponding regulation is to be included in the election regulations as part of an amendment, as stated in a statement sent to the APA. At least that is the wish. Because the amendment will not be passed before the Vienna election on April 27. A possible implementation would only be initiated by the next city government.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.