Austria's Election: When Will Austrians Decide?

Austria's first coalition government led by the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) collapsed in February 2025, raising the question of when the country must hold an election. The FPO's negotiations with the conservative People's Party (OVP) broke down, with each side blaming the other. The collapse came after the FPO's insistence on controlling key ministries, and disagreements over issues such as migration and Austria's relationship with Russia. In the wake of the collapse, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen must determine the next steps, which could include a snap election, a minority government, a new attempt at forming a coalition, or a temporary government of experts. While there is no set timeline for when an election must be held, a snap election cannot be held sooner than approximately three months after the collapse of the government.

Austria's federal president is elected for a six-year term

Austrian citizens who have reached the age of 16 by the end of the election day and who are not excluded from voting by a judicial conviction are entitled to vote. For the right to stand for election, the completion of the 35th year is required. As a prerequisite for running as a candidate for Federal President, at least 6,000 declarations of support (valid signatures of eligible voters) are needed. The Federal Government calls the election so that the newly elected candidate can take office as soon as the outgoing president's term has ended. The announcement of the presidential election must include the election date and the filing date. Each nomination must be signed by at least 6,000 eligible voters, and an amount of €3,600 must be paid at the same time.

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.

The National Council is elected by proportional representation every five years

The National Council is the lower house of Austria's bicameral Parliament, where the country's federal legislative authority is concentrated. The National Council is elected by proportional representation every five years. This means that the number of elected members from each party is proportional to the share of electoral votes obtained by that party.

Each of the nine Austrian states is an electoral unit, and each state is subdivided into regional electoral districts, for a total of 39. Political parties may compete nationwide, but they are not required to do so. To receive representation in the National Council, a party must either win a basic mandate in one of the regional districts or receive at least 4% of all valid votes cast nationwide.

The voting system in Austria aims at party-list proportional representation and uses partially open lists. Political parties submit separate ranked lists of candidates for each district, regional or local, in which they have chosen to run. They also submit a federal-level list. Votes are first counted within the local electoral districts, and since there are 39 local districts but 183 seats to fill, most local districts are multi-member districts.

In addition to voting for a party list, voters may express a preference for one individual candidate in the same party list. This means that voters cannot vote for the party list of one party while also influencing the candidate rankings on the party list of another party. However, a candidate receiving many personal votes can rise in rank on their district party list, so voters have some influence over which individual wins a particular seat.

Austria's federal constitution defines the country as a semi-presidential democracy. While the executive branch of the government is supposed to be headed by the President, it is also answerable to the National Council. In practice, the day-to-day work of governing is left to the Chancellor and Cabinet, who are dependent on the confidence of the National Council. The President has the theoretical right to dissolve a hostile National Council, but this power is not exercised due to constitutional convention. As such, Austria functions as a parliamentary democracy, with the cabinet subject to the approval of the National Council.

A snap election may be called if the chancellor wants early elections or loses the support of a majority in the National Council

In Austria, elections for the National Council take place every five years. However, a snap election can be called if the chancellor wishes to hold early elections or if they lose the support of the majority in the National Council. This occurred in 2017 and 2019.

In 2017, a snap election was called four years into a grand coalition between the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) and the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). The snap election was called for by the newly elected ÖVP leader, Sebastian Kurz. The SPÖ and ÖVP both made large gains, with the former becoming the largest party at the federal level.

In 2019, legislative elections were held to elect the 27th National Council. This snap election was called after the Ibiza affair, which led to the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache and the collapse of the governing coalition between the ÖVP and the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). The government lost a motion of no-confidence, and Chancellor Kurz was replaced by the non-partisan Brigitte Bierlein on an interim basis. The ÖVP ultimately formed a coalition with The Greens, marking the first time the Greens had federal-level representation in Austria.

Snap elections can be a tool for chancellors to strengthen their position and gain more seats in the National Council. However, they also carry the risk of losing power, as demonstrated by the 2019 election, where the SPÖ recorded its worst performance in over a century.

Austrian legislative elections will be held by 2029 to elect the 29th National Council

In the lead-up to the 2024 Austrian legislative election, the ÖVP-Green government passed a mandatory vaccination law, which was later repealed due to widespread public protests. The government also faced a series of corruption scandals and was unable to effectively tackle rising inflation, particularly in the areas of housing, electricity, fuel, and groceries. These factors contributed to a significant loss of support for the government parties, leading to the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) becoming the largest party in parliament for the first time.

The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) finished second, while the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) dropped to third place, despite maintaining a similar vote share as in the 2019 election. NEOS achieved its best result, and the Greens retained their presence in parliament with a reduced number of seats. No other party surpassed the 4% threshold required to win seats.

The legislative elections in Austria are governed by federal law and play a crucial role in shaping the country's political landscape. The National Council, as the lower house of parliament, holds significant power in passing legislation and overseeing the work of the government. The upcoming election in 2029 will be an important opportunity for Austrian citizens to exercise their democratic right to vote and have a say in the country's future direction.

European elections took place in Austria on 9 June 2024

In Austria, federal-level elections are of two types: 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 every five years, but a snap election may be called if the chancellor wants early elections or loses the support of a majority in the National Council.

Voters elected 20 Austrian Members of the European Parliament in 2024, one more than in the 2019 elections. Austria uses preferential voting, which gives voters the option to indicate their preferences within the party list they choose. Candidates who receive the most preferences are more likely to be elected.

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