Lyla Lindsey
Austria has a multi-party system, with over 1,100 registered political parties. In 2024, the far-right Freedom Party (FPOE) won the general election, but was unable to form a coalition government. Instead, the incumbent Chancellor Karl Nehammer of the conservative People's Party (OVP) formed a coalition with either the Greens or the liberal Neos. Austria's current president is Alexander Van der Bellen of the Austrian Greens, who appoints the chancellor, vice-chancellor, and ministers.
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What You'll Learn
The Austrian Greens
In the 2019 snap legislative election, the Austrian Greens returned to the National Council with their best-ever result, scoring 13.9% of the votes and electing 26 MPs. However, in the 2024 Austrian legislative election, the party lost 10 seats and fell to 8.2% of the votes. The Austrian Greens have faced internal struggles and communication disasters, which have impacted their polling numbers and trust among voters.
Despite these challenges, the Austrian Greens have played a significant role in Austrian politics and have joined coalitions with other parties, such as the conservative People's Party, to form a government. The Greens have also been part of preliminary negotiations about a possible coalition government with the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) in the past.
The current President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen, is from the Green Party, and he has been in power since 2017. He was re-elected in 2022 with 56.69% of the votes, and his term will run until 2028.
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Austrian People's Party (ÖVP)
The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. It is currently the second-largest party in the National Council, with 51 out of 183 seats, and won 26.3% of the votes in the 2024 legislative election. The ÖVP holds seats in all nine state legislatures and is part of the government in seven, leading in six of those. The ÖVP is a member of the International Democracy Union and the European People's Party, sitting with the EPP group in the European Parliament.
The ÖVP was founded in 1945, immediately following the restoration of the Republic of Austria and is an unofficial successor to the Christian Social Party of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The party has been represented in the Federal Assembly since its founding and has consistently been the strongest or second-strongest party. As such, it has led or been a partner in most Austrian federal governments. In the 1945 Austrian legislative election, the ÖVP won a landslide victory, securing almost half of the popular vote and an absolute majority in the legislature.
The ÖVP underwent a significant change in its image after Sebastian Kurz became chairman in 2017, adopting the colour turquoise and the alternate name, The New People's Party (Die neue Volkspartei). This led to the ÖVP becoming the largest party in the 2017 election, after which it formed a coalition government with the FPÖ. However, this coalition collapsed in 2019 due to the Ibiza affair, which also resulted in Kurz's resignation from the chancellorship in October 2021.
Despite the far-right Freedom Party winning the most votes in the September 2024 general election, the ÖVP, led by Karl Nehammer, was asked by President Alexander Van der Bellen to form a coalition government. This was due to the Freedom Party's inability to find a coalition partner, as all other parties refused to work with them. The ÖVP's current acting leader is Christian Stocker.
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Far-right Freedom Party
The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) is a political party in Austria, described as far-right, right-wing populist, national-conservative, and Eurosceptic. The party was founded in 1956 as the successor to the Federation of Independents (VdU), representing pan-Germanists and national liberals opposed to socialism and Catholic clericalism. The FPÖ's first leader, Anton Reinthaller, was a former Nazi functionary and SS officer, and the party was initially seen as a right-wing extremist group due to the high number of former Nazis in its ranks.
Over time, the FPÖ has shifted away from liberalism and towards right-wing populism, with a focus on portraying itself as a guarantor of Austrian identity and social welfare. The party has supported regulated liberalism with privatisation and low taxes, while also advocating for the welfare state. The FPÖ has previously formed governments with both the centre-left Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) and the centre-right Austrian People's Party (ÖVP).
In recent years, the FPÖ has continued to gain support, with more than a quarter of voters backing the party. In the 2024 election, the FPÖ won 28.85% of the votes, making it the largest of five parties in the National Council, with 57 out of 183 seats. The party is represented in all nine state legislatures and has six MEPs in the European Parliament.
Despite its electoral success, the FPÖ has faced resistance from other parties due to its extreme views. In 2017, the FPÖ entered into a coalition agreement with the conservative ÖVP, but this triggered European sanctions against Austria. In 2024, the FPÖ won the general election with almost 29% of the vote, but was unable to form a coalition government as all other parties refused to partner with them. The FPÖ's manifesto rejects the "political project" of the European Union, arguing that it forces countries to integrate in an unnatural way through "forced multiculturalism, globalisation, and mass immigration".
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Social Democratic Party of Austria
The Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) is a centre-left political party and one of the country's two traditional major parties. It was founded in 1889 as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (SDAPÖ) and was later known as the Socialist Party of Austria (SPÖ) from 1945 until 1991. The party is the oldest extant political party in Austria and has played a significant role in the country's history.
In the early 20th century, the SDAPÖ was a driving force in the establishment of the First Austrian Republic. The party leader, Karl Renner, became Chancellor of the First Republic in 1918. The SDAPÖ was particularly strong among the working class and had a significant presence in Vienna, where it governed the municipality from 1919 to 1934. During this period, the SDAPÖ implemented ambitious policies, including the construction of workers' housing, the introduction of free medical care, and the taxation of income and luxury goods.
However, the party faced challenges in the 1930s due to the economic crisis and rising political violence. In 1934, the democratic system was overthrown by the right-wing Christian Social Party, and the SDAPÖ was banned. During World War II, Austria was under Nazi rule, and the SDAPÖ was suppressed.
After the war, in 1945, the party was reconstituted as the Socialist Party of Austria (SPÖ) and entered into a coalition government with the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). From 1971 to 1983, the SPÖ, under Bruno Kreisky, was the sole governing party. In 1991, the party reverted to its original name, the Social Democratic Party of Austria, and has since maintained its position as one of the major political forces in the country.
Today, the SPÖ holds seats in the legislatures of all nine states and is the largest party in three: Burgenland, Carinthia, and Vienna. It supports Austria's membership in the European Union and is a member of the Progressive Alliance and the Party of European Socialists. In the 2024 Austrian legislative election, the SPÖ won 21.1% of the votes and currently holds 40 out of 183 seats in the National Council.
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Austrian Parliament
The Austrian Parliament (German: Österreichisches Parlament) is the bicameral federal legislature of Austria. It consists of two chambers: the National Council and the Federal Council. The National Council is the lower house, with 183 members, and the Federal Council represents the nine states, with 60 seats. The legislature meets in the Austrian Parliament Building in Vienna.
The Austrian Parliament is a place of lived democracy, where the public can visit, take guided tours, and learn about the country's democratic system. The building is closely associated with the two parliamentary bodies, as reflected in the use of the term "Hohes Haus" as a metonym for "Parliament". The National Council is the dominant house, and thus, the terms "Parliament" and "National Council" are often used interchangeably.
The National Council's members are elected through proportional representation in a general election every five years. The Federal Council, on the other hand, is elected indirectly through the provincial assemblies of the nine states. In specific cases, both houses convene as the Federal Assembly, which has a mostly ceremonial role. However, under exceptional circumstances, the Austrian constitution grants significant responsibilities to the Federal Assembly, such as in the hypothetical impeachment of a Federal President.
Austria has a multi-party system, with over 1,100 registered political parties, although only a few are well-known to the public. Since the 1980s, four parties have consistently gained enough votes to enter the National Council. The country's presidential elections are decided by a popular vote using a two-round system, with the president being elected for a six-year term.
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Frequently asked questions
Austria has a multi-party system, with over 1,100 registered political parties. The Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) is the country's oldest extant political party and is currently the second-largest of five parties in the National Council. The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) is another major party, and the incumbent Chancellor Karl Nehammer is the leader of the conservative People's Party. The far-right Freedom Party (FPOE) is also a strong party in Austria.
Alexander Van der Bellen, from the Austrian Greens, is the current president of Austria. He was re-elected in 2022 and his term runs until 2028.
The Austrian president is responsible for appointing the chancellor, vice-chancellor, and ministers. They can also dissolve the cabinet and rule by decree in extreme cases.
National Council elections are held in Austria every five years.
Austria has a Federal Government (Bundesregierung) whose members are appointed by the president. The legislature is the Austrian Parliament (Parlament), which consists of two chambers: the National Council and the Federal Council.
