An Idiots Guide to Austrian Politics.

The Austrian Political System - A Guide for Idiots.

When we hear the word "Politics", we often find ourselves rolling our eyes and falling into a deep sleep over complicated structures and big words which nobody really understands... However, I have decided to take one for the team, and explain the Austrian political system in a way that is so simple, even the idiots among us will understand. 

The Constitution.

First of all, it is important to understand the structure of Austrias political system. Austria is a democratic republic consisting of nine federal states or better known to us as provinces. The country has been a member state of the European Union since 1995 and the federal capital and heart of the supreme authorities is Vienna. Similar to many other European democracies, the country's Chancellor is the leader of the party with the majority of votes.  

Austrian Parliament Building - Wikipedia

Political Parties. 

Currently there are five political parties represented in the Austrian parliament. 

1. The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) - centre right - right wing

2. The Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) - centre left 

3. The Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) - right wing - far right 

4. The Green Party - centre left 

5. The NEOS - centre 

Austria's crisis is a lesson for Europe: far-right parties are unfit to govern | Julia Ebner | The Guardian

The Parliament. 

The Austrian Parliament consists of two chambers.

1. The National Assembly (Nationalrat)

2. The Federal Council (Bundesrat)

The National Assembly is the main legislative body responsible for implementing new laws. They work in the Federal Government or sometimes in the Provincial Governments. They are responsible for working along side The Federal Council and carrying out legislative tasks at federal level. 

The Federal Council represents the needs of each individual Austrian province in Parliament. Each Provincial Assembly (Landtage) represent the wants and needs of their own citizens and each province is also represented by a Provincial Government which is lead by a Provincial Governor, also knows as the Landeshauptmann. This person is elected by representatives of the Provincial Assembly and acts very similarly to a British MP. 

The Federal Government.

One of the Federal Government's tasks is to prepare drafts of new laws which are then submitted to Parliament. The Federal Government is lead by the Chancellor (Bundeskanzler) who works alongside the Vice Chancellor, federal ministers and state secretaries to make sure the country is run smoothly. The current chancellor is Sebastian Kurz who represents the Austrian people's Party. 

Elections. 

Just like in Scotland, any Austrian citizen (and some members of other EU states with Austrian residence) over the age of 16 has the right to vote. 

Here are some of the main referendums and elections held in Austria. 

1. The National Assembly (Narionalrat) - every five years. 

2. The Provincial Parliament - every five or six years 

3. The Municipal Council (EU citizens resident in the municipality can also vote) - every five or six years.

4. The Austrian Members of EU parliament (Citizens od other EU countries with their main residence in Austria have the right to vote. 

5. The Austrian Chancellor & Vice Chancellor - every six years.


So there you go... I hope that you have learnt something about Austrian politics!!!







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