Austria's Electoral Process: Choosing The Country's Leaders

Austria's federal president is elected by the citizens of the Republic by secret ballot in a free and direct general election. The president is elected for a six-year term, with the most recent Austrian presidential election taking place in 2022. The election is governed by federal law and takes place under a two-round system to ensure the president is supported by a majority of voters. Austria's multi-party system means that voters select among political parties on their ballot, rather than among competing candidates.

The Federal President is elected by popular vote for a six-year term

The Federal President of the Republic of Austria is elected by popular vote for a six-year term. The election takes place under a two-round system to ensure that the president is supported by a majority of the voters. The Federal President is elected by secret ballot in a free and fair popular general election. The term begins when the President is inaugurated and takes office. The election takes place every six years, with the most recent Austrian presidential election taking place in 2022. If only one candidate runs for office, the election takes the form of a referendum. This regulation, which was introduced in 1982, is primarily intended to allow an incumbent, universally acclaimed Federal President to serve a second term without an election campaign.

The National Council is elected by proportional representation every five years

On the federal level, there are two main elections in Austria: presidential elections and elections to determine the composition of the National Council (Nationalrat), the lower house of Austria's bicameral Parliament. The National Council is elected by proportional representation every five years. This means that the number of seats a party gets in the National Council is proportional to the number of votes they receive in the election.

The overall objective of Austria's election system is to assure the proportional allocation of seats based on the share of votes received by the political parties. This system requires voters to select among political parties on their ballot, rather than among competing candidates. Voters express their choice by placing an 'x' in the circle next to the name of the party on the paper ballot (Stimmzettel).

The National Council can be elected early if the chancellor wants early elections or loses the support of a majority in the National Council, as happened in 2017 and 2019.

The Federal Council is made up of state delegates and is not directly elected

On the federal level, there are two main elections in Austria: presidential elections and elections to determine the composition of the National Council (Nationalrat), the lower house of Austria's bicameral Parliament. The upper house, the Federal Council, is made up of state delegates and is not directly elected. The Federal President of the Republic of Austria is elected by secret ballot in a free and fair popular general election to a term of six years. The term begins when the President is inaugurated and takes office. The Federal President is elected for six years by the citizens of the Republic – i.e., by all citizens who are entitled to vote. If only one candidate runs for office, the election takes the form of a referendum. This regulation, which was introduced in 1982, is primarily intended to allow an incumbent, universally acclaimed Federal President to serve a second term without an election campaign.

The National Council is elected by proportional representation. Elections take place every five years, except that a snap election may be called if the chancellor wants early elections or loses the support of a majority in the National Council, as happened in 2017 and again in 2019. Austria has a multi-party system. From 1945 to 1983, Austrian politics had a two-party system, where two main parties, the SPÖ on the centre-left and the ÖVP on the centre-right, generally dominated politics, and were the only parties to form a government, most often forming a grand coalition when neither party had a majority of seats.

The overall objective of Austria’s election system for parliament and other legislative bodies is to assure the proportional allocation of seats based on the share of the votes received by the political parties at the polls so that the composition of the legislative body will faithfully represent the preferences of the electorate. This system requires voters to select among political parties on their ballot, rather than among competing candidates. The standard manner of expressing that choice is by placing an ‘x’ in the circle next to the name of the party on the paper ballot (Stimmzettel). There is as yet no legal basis for e-voting in Austrian elections.

Austria's election system aims to allocate seats proportionally based on votes

The Federal President of the Republic of Austria is elected by secret ballot in a free and fair popular general election to a term of six years. The term begins when the President is inaugurated and takes office. The Federal President is elected for six years by the citizens of the Republic – i.e., by all citizens who are entitled to vote – by secret ballot in a free and direct general election. If only one candidate runs for office, the election takes the form of a referendum. This regulation, which was introduced in 1982, is primarily intended to allow an incumbent, universally acclaimed Federal President to serve a second term without an election campaign.

Austrian elections are governed by federal law

The Federal President of the Republic of Austria is elected by secret ballot in a free and fair popular general election to a term of six years. The Federal President is elected by the citizens of the Republic, by all citizens who are entitled to vote. If only one candidate runs for office, the election takes the form of a referendum. This regulation was introduced in 1982 to allow an incumbent, universally acclaimed Federal President to serve a second term without an election campaign. The election takes place under a two-round system to ensure that the president is supported by a majority of the voters.

The National Council is elected by proportional representation. Elections take place every five years, except that a snap election may be called if the chancellor wants early elections or loses the support of a majority in the National Council. Austria has a multi-party system. From 1945 to 1983, Austrian politics had a two-party system, where two main parties, the SPÖ on the centre-left and the ÖVP on the centre-right, generally dominated politics, and were the only parties to form a government, most often forming a grand coalition when neither party had a majority of seats.

The overall objective of Austria’s election system for parliament and other legislative bodies is to assure the proportional allocation of seats based on the share of the votes received by the political parties at the polls so that the composition of the legislative body will faithfully represent the preferences of the electorate. This system requires voters to select among political parties on their ballot, rather than among competing candidates.

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