On 23 October, a Treaty of Versailles-mandated plebiscite was scheduled to occur in the Burgenland (with a choice between Austria and Hungary on offer), and in mid-October Colonel Lehár, Count Gyula Ostenburg-Moravek, and other legitimist officers had decided to take advantage of the tense situation, sending Charles a message that he should try to seize power before 23 October. They wrote, "The domestic political situation is such that when His Majesty enters Budapest no sort of opposition is to be expected.
On October 23rd, a plebiscite mandated by the Treaty of Versailles was scheduled in Burgenland, offering a choice between Austria and Hungary. Meanwhile, Colonel Lehár, Count Ostenburg-Moravek, and other legitimist officers took advantage of the political turmoil to advise Charles to seize power before the date. They wrote that with His Majesty's arrival in Budapest, opposition would be nonexistent.