Romanian woman running in upcoming elections for Austrian Parliament

Romanian Ramona Miletic, who has lived in Vienna for 15 years, is running in the legislative elections on September 29 for a seat in the Austrian Parliament.

Originally from Pitești, Miletic was elected vice-mayor in the Simmering district in November 2020, overseeing an area with nearly 100,000 people, nearly 6,000 of them Romanians. She has been a member of SPÖ, Austria's Social Democratic Party, for over 11 years.

"I am running in the legislative elections because I want to be a voice for the Romanians here in the Austrian Parliament. I also want to be a voice for ordinary people. I believe that Austria's healthcare system should be improved, ensuring it is not divided into two categories: those who can afford private consultations and those who cannot. I would like everyone to have the same medical benefits, without discrimination," Ramona Miletic told Adevarul.

In the September 29 legislative elections, she will run for a seat in the National Council, the lower house of the Austrian Parliament. In the previous elections in 2019, SPÖ won 40 of the 183 seats in the National Council, or 21%.

Ramona Miletic also focuses on issues that affect Romanians in Austria and back home.

"Both I and all my party colleagues in SPÖ strongly support Romania's entry into the Schengen Area with all its borders. Romanians are very well regarded in Vienna and Austria, they are well integrated, hardworking, and serious people. Romanians in the Simmering district are even involved in cultural activities," she added.

Austria's ruling center-right ÖVP has blocked Romania's full membership to the border-free Schengen area, instead agreeing to an "Air Schengen" that integrated the country's ports and airports in the zone.

At present, Ramona Miletic works as an office manager for a construction company.

In Romania, she worked for several years in the construction field, serving as purchasing director for a company in Pitești, her hometown. She met her future husband 15 years ago when he came to work in Pitești from Vienna. After her husband finished his contract in Romania, they decided to settle together in Vienna.

(Photo source: Ramona Miletic on Facebook)