Lexi Webster
Austria is a democratic federal parliamentary republic, consisting of nine federal states or provinces. Vienna is the federal capital and the seat of the supreme federal authorities. The Austrian Parliament consists of two chambers: the National Assembly (Nationalrat) and the Federal Council (Bundesrat). The judiciary is separate from the executive at all levels of jurisdiction. The police, as an executive agency, are subject to the Republic of Austria.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of state | Federal parliamentary republic |
| Head of government | Chancellor |
| Head of state | President |
| Number of states | 9 |
| Number of political parties represented in parliament | 5 |
| Number of chambers in federal parliament | 2 |
| Number of representatives in the European Parliament | 20 |
| Number of levels of judicial authority | 4 |
What You'll Learn
The Austrian Parliament
Austria is a federal parliamentary republic with a chancellor who is the head of government and a president who is the head of state. The country consists of nine states (Bundesländer) and Vienna is the federal capital and the seat of the supreme federal authorities. The federal Parliament has two chambers: the directly elected Lower House (Nationalrat) and the Upper House (Bundesrat) which is elected by regional parliaments. Five political parties are currently represented in the Austrian Parliament: the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), the Greens and the NEOS.
The judiciary is separate from the executive at all levels of jurisdiction. There are four levels of judicial authority in Austria: district courts (Bezirksgericht); regional courts (Landesgericht); Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht); and the Supreme Court (Oberster Gerichtshof). The Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgericht) deals with disputes in connection with decisions taken by the administrative authorities. The Constitutional Court (Verfassungsgericht) deals with actions against federal, provincial, regional or municipal authorities.
The Government of Austria is the executive cabinet of the Republic of Austria. It consists of the chancellor, the vice chancellor and the ministers. All members of the Federal Government are appointed by the Austrian Federal President. As the Federal Government must maintain the confidence of parliament, the President must generally abide by the will of that body in his or her appointments. In practice, the leader of the strongest political party, who ran as a "chancellor candidate" in a parliamentary election, is usually asked to become Federal Chancellor.
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The Austrian judiciary
Austria is a federal parliamentary republic with a chancellor who is the head of government and a president who is the head of state. The territory of the Federal Republic consists of nine federal states or provinces. Vienna is the federal capital and the seat of the supreme federal authorities.
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The Austrian Chancellor
Austria is a federal parliamentary republic with a chancellor who is the head of government and a president who is the head of state. The chancellor is part of the Federal Government, which also includes the vice chancellor and the ministers. All members of the Federal Government are appointed by the Austrian Federal President, who must generally abide by the will of parliament in their appointments. In practice, the leader of the strongest political party, who ran as a "chancellor candidate" in a parliamentary election, is usually asked to become Federal Chancellor.
The Federal Government must maintain the confidence of parliament, which consists of the directly elected Lower House (Nationalrat) and the Upper House (Bundesrat), which is elected by regional parliaments. There are four levels of judicial authority in Austria: district courts (Bezirksgericht); regional courts (Landesgericht); Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht); and the Supreme Court (Oberster Gerichtshof). The judiciary is separate from the executive at all levels of jurisdiction. The police are an executive agency and are subject to the Republic of Austria.
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The Austrian President
Austria is a federal parliamentary republic with a chancellor who is the head of government and a president who is the head of state. The Austrian Federal President appoints all members of the Federal Government. The Federal Government must maintain the confidence of parliament, so the President must generally abide by the will of that body in their appointments. The leader of the strongest political party, who ran as a "chancellor candidate" in a parliamentary election, is usually asked to become Federal Chancellor.
The Austrian judiciary is separate from the executive at all levels of jurisdiction. There are four levels of judicial authority in Austria: district courts (Bezirksgericht); regional courts (Landesgericht); Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht); Supreme Court (Oberster Gerichtshof). The Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgericht) deals with disputes in connection with decisions taken by the administrative authorities. The Constitutional Court (Verfassungsgericht) deals with actions against federal, provincial, regional or municipal authorities. All citizens enjoy fundamental rights as stated in the Constitution: "All citizens are equal before the law".
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The Austrian Constitution
Austria is a federal parliamentary republic with a chancellor who is the head of government and a president who is the head of state. The country consists of nine states, or Bundesländer. Both regional and federal governments exercise executive power. The federal Parliament has two chambers: the directly elected Lower House (Nationalrat) and the Upper House (Bundesrat) which is elected by regional parliaments.
The judiciary is separate from the executive at all levels of jurisdiction. The police, as an executive agency, are subject to the Republic of Austria. There are four levels of judicial authority in Austria: district courts (Bezirksgericht); regional courts (Landesgericht); Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht); and the Supreme Court (Oberster Gerichtshof). The Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgericht) deals with disputes in connection with decisions taken by the administrative authorities. The Constitutional Court (Verfassungsgericht) deals with actions against federal, provincial, regional or municipal authorities. All citizens enjoy fundamental rights as stated in the Constitution: "All citizens are equal before the law".
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Frequently asked questions
Austria is a federal parliamentary republic with a chancellor who is the head of government and a president who is the head of state. The country consists of nine states (Bundesländer).
The Austrian Parliament consists of two chambers: the National Assembly (Nationalrat) and the Federal Council (Bundesrat). The National Assembly is the main legislative body. The preparation and implementation of legislation take place in the Federal Government or in the Provincial Governments.
The judiciary is separate from the executive at all levels of jurisdiction. There are four levels of judicial authority in Austria: district courts (Bezirksgericht); regional courts (Landesgericht); Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht); and the Supreme Court (Oberster Gerichtshof).
Five political parties are currently represented in the Austrian Parliament: the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), the Greens and the NEOS.
