A candidate for the presidency of Austria says he'll return an iconic museum piece known as "Moctezuma's Headdress" to Mexico if elected.

An iconic headdress from ancient Mexico commonly known as Moctezuma's Headdress is shown on display at the Weltmuseum Wien in Vienna in 2017. A candidate for Austria's presidency says he will return the item to Mexico if he wins. Photo courtesy Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs UPI

Oct. 4 (UPI) -- An Austrian presidential candidate says he wants to return an iconic, ancient headdress to Mexico if he wins election.

Günther Fehlinger-Jahn, an Austrian economist and activist who is staunchly pro-European Union and anti-Russian, said in a social media post on Friday that he wants to return the "penacho," also commonly known as Moctezuma's Headdress, to Mexico from its current home at the Weltmuseum in the Hofburg Imperial Palace, where it is counted as one of the institution's most important pieces.

"As President of Austria, I will return the headdress to Mexico," he wrote, adding that the move would be part of a larger project with Mexico in which he would seek "a new strategic partnership linking Mexico and Europe through trade, investment, education, security cooperation and deeper political integration."

"My EU50 proposal would ultimately include Mexico in a much larger European political and economic community," said Fehlinger-Jahn, who identifies himself as the chairman of the Austrian Committee for NATO Enlargement and is a strong proponent of EU expansion.

Officially known as the Headdress of Ancient Mexico, it is exhibited as the centerpiece of the Mesoamerica Room in the Vienna museum, along with other examples of feather art originating from Mexico, including the Shield of Ahuízotl and other pre-Hispanic pieces.

The piece has been in Austria since at least 1596, when it first appeared in an inventory of items held at Ambras Castle in Innsbruck.

However, even if Fehlinger-Jahn wins the presidency, there may be an obstacle to its return.

In 2017, a team of Austrian and Mexican government experts explored the possibility of moving the penacho to Mexico but agreed that its fragile state would not allow it to survive a transport until there is a technology that can prevent any vibration.