The political framework of Austria

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders

President: Alexander VAN DER BELLEN (since 26 January 2017)
Chancellor: Christian STOCKER (since 3 March 2025)

Next Election Dates

Presidential: April 2028
National Council: 2029

Main Political Parties

Austria has a multi-party system. The main parties represented in the parliament include:

- Freedom Party (FPÖ): right-wing, nationalist and anti-immigration
- Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP): centre-right, Christian democratic and conservative
- Social Democratic Party (SPÖ): centre-left
- The New Austria and Liberal Forum (NEOS): centre, liberal
- The Greens (GRÜNE): centre-left

Executive Power

The President is the Chief of State, while the Federal Chancellor is the Head of Government. The Federal Chancellor enjoys executive powers. The President is elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term and the Chancellor is traditionally chosen by the President from the majority party in the National Council. The Council of Ministers is chosen by the President on the advice of the Chancellor.

Legislative Power

The legislature in Austria is bicameral. The parliament consists of two chambers: The National Council (the lower house) whose 183 members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms, and the Federal Council (the upper house) whose 60 members are elected by provincial parliaments to serve five- or six-year terms. The President can dissolve the National Council on the recommendation of the Chancellor. The Federal Council only reviews legislation passed by the National Council and can delay but not veto its enactment. Most authority, including that of the police, rests with the federal Government but the states have considerable responsibility for welfare matters and local administration.