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Habsburg goes to court over presidential ban

By Lisa Chapman

A Habsburg family member and his daughter-in-law have gone to the Constitutional Court after they were excluded from presidential elections next year.

Ulrich Habsburg-Lothringen, a Green councillor in Wolfsberg, Carinthia, and his daughter-in-law Gabriele Habsburg-Lothringen, want the court to review whether the ban is constitutional.

Austrian election laws prohibit any member of the house of Habsburg or any member of a "ruling house" to become a candidate for the presidency.

The ban dates back to the days of the First Republic, when many people wanted to ensure there would be no restoration of the Habsburg monarchy.

Habsburg-Lothringen has also asked Social Democratic (SP�) Chancellor Werner Faymann to take a stand on the issue.

Habsburg said today (Weds): "We will wait for four weeks for the government to take a stand."

Habsburg�s lawyer Rudolf Vouk said the ban was discriminatory and violated Austrians� right to a free and democratic election.

Vouk said Habsburg was far down the line of succession to Austria�s last Emperor Karl I and that his daughter-in-law had been named Wetschnig before marrying Habsburg�s son. She, too, is excluded from the presidential election because of her marriage.

Vouk said: "The Republic can afford to take a milder approach to its history," adding Habsburg had decided to act now in order to have the issue settled well before the presidential election next year.

But he said his client was not yet thinking about becoming a presidential candidate.

Austrian Times

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