Elections in Austria
Encyclopedia
This article provides information on election
s and election results in Austria
.
On a federal level, there are two main elections: for head of state (Federal President) every six years, and for the
183 seats of the National Council
(Nationalrat) every five years by proportional representation
.
Austria has a multi-party system. From 1945 to 1986 Austria had two main parties
, with a third party also winning seats in the National Council. Since 1986 there have been generally four parties, for a few years even five. At least 4% of the popular vote, or a parliamentary seat in one of the regional constituencies, is needed for representation in the National Council.
The voting age
has recently been lowered from 18 to 16 in all federal elections, following some states which had lowered it for state and local elections before that.
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s and election results in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
On a federal level, there are two main elections: for head of state (Federal President) every six years, and for the
183 seats of the National Council
National Council of Austria
The National Council is one of the two houses of the Austrian parliament. According to the constitution, the National Council and the complementary Federal Council are peers...
(Nationalrat) every five years by proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
.
Austria has a multi-party system. From 1945 to 1986 Austria had two main parties
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
, with a third party also winning seats in the National Council. Since 1986 there have been generally four parties, for a few years even five. At least 4% of the popular vote, or a parliamentary seat in one of the regional constituencies, is needed for representation in the National Council.
The voting age
Voting age
A voting age is a minimum age established by law that a person must attain to be eligible to vote in a public election.The vast majority of countries in the world have established a voting age. Most governments consider that those of any age lower than the chosen threshold lack the necessary...
has recently been lowered from 18 to 16 in all federal elections, following some states which had lowered it for state and local elections before that.
Eligibility
Austrian citizens who are at least 16 years old on the day of election are eligible to vote at all elections, citizens who are 18 years or older may stand at elections. Additionally citizens of European Union member states with a permanent residence in Austria may vote at European Union and municipal elections. Citizens who are convicted of more than one year of imprisonment lose their voting rights. An exception to the rule is the presidential election, where the minimum age to stand as candidate is 35 and members of current or former ruling houses are ineligible for office.2008 Parliamentary election
2010 Presidential election
External links
- Adam Carr's Election Archive
- Parties and elections
- Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior: Elections
- NSD: European Election Database - Austria publishes regional level election data; allows for comparisons of election results, 1990-2008