Austrian Parliament

Austrian Parliament Österreichisches Parlament
Type
Type	Bicameral
Houses	National Council Federal Council
Leadership
President of the National Council	Wolfgang Sobotka (ÖVP) since 20 December 2017
President of the Federal Council	Margit Göll (ÖVP) since 1 January 2024
Structure
Seats	244 61 (Federal Council) 183 (National Council)
Federal Council political groups	Government (31)   ÖVP (25)   Greens (6) Opposition (30)   SPÖ (18)   FPÖ (11)   NEOS (1)
National Council political groups	Government (97)   ÖVP (71)   Greens (26) Opposition (86)   SPÖ (40)   FPÖ (30)   NEOS (15)   Independent (1)
Elections
Federal Council voting system	Appointment by State Landtage
National Council voting system	Proportional representation
Last National Council election	29 September 2019
Meeting place
Parliament Building Vienna, Austria
Website
parlament.gv.at

This article is part of a series on the
Politics of Austria
Law Constitution (B-VG) Taxation State Treaty Human rights Neutrality Supreme organs
Executive President (list) Alexander Van der Bellen Chancellor (list) Karl Nehammer Vice Chancellor (list) Werner Kogler Nehammer government Cabinet · Ministers
Legislature National Council Wöginger • Rendi-Wagner • Kickl • Maurer • Meinl-Reisinger • Federal Council Upper house of parliament Federal Assembly Joint session of both houses
Judiciary Constitutional Court (judicial review) Supreme Court of Justice (civil and criminal cases) Supreme Administrative Court (administrative law cases)
Elections Legislative: 2013 2017 2019 Presidential: 2010 2016 2022 European: 2014 2019 2024
Political parties People's Party Chairman: Karl Nehammer (acting) Social Democratic Party Chairman: Andreas Babler Freedom Party Chairman: Herbert Kickl Green Party Spokesman: Werner Kogler NEOS Chairwoman: Beate Meinl-Reisinger
Federal states Burgenland Governor: Doskozil (SPÖ) Capital: Eisenstadt Carinthia Governor: Kaiser (SPÖ) Capital: Klagenfurt Lower Austria Governor: Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) Capital: Sankt Pölten Salzburg Governor: Haslauer (ÖVP) Capital: Salzburg Styria Governor: Drexler (ÖVP) Capital: Graz Tyrol Governor: Mattle (ÖVP) Capital: Innsbruck Upper Austria Governor: Stelzer (ÖVP) Capital: Linz Vienna Mayor and Governor: Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) Vorarlberg Governor: Wallner (ÖVP) Capital: Bregenz Districts Municipalities
Austria portal Other countries
v t e

The Austrian Parliament (German: Österreichisches Parlament) is the bicameral^[1] federal legislature of Austria. It consists of two chambers – the National Council and the Federal Council. In specific cases, both houses convene as the Federal Assembly. The legislature meets in the Austrian Parliament Building in Vienna.

Overview

The National Council is composed of 183 members elected through proportional representation in a general election. The legislative period lasts five years, elections are held earlier if the National Council prematurely moves for its own dissolution. The National Council is the dominant (albeit 'lower') house in the Austrian Parliament, and consequently the terms Parliament and National Council are commonly used synonymously.

The Federal Council is elected indirectly, through the provincial assemblies (Landtage) of the nine States of the Federal Republic, and reflects the distribution of seats in the Austrian Landtage. The states are represented in the Federal Council roughly in accordance to the size of their populations. Seats are redistributed among the states following each general census, and the overall size of the chamber varies slightly as a result. The current Federal Council is composed of 61 delegates. With regard to most issues, the Federal Council only possesses a dilatory right of veto which can be overridden by the National Council. However, the Federal Council enjoys absolute veto powers over bills intended to alter the powers of either the states, or of the Federal Council itself.

The Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung) is a body whose function is mostly ceremonial in nature, and consists of the members of both houses of Parliament. The Federal Assembly convenes only rarely, for instance to witness the inauguration of the Federal President. It might be noted, however, that under exceptional circumstances the Austrian constitution endows the Federal Assembly with significant responsibilities. An example of this would be its pivotal role in the hypothetical impeachment of a Federal President.

Both houses of parliament, as well as the Federal Assembly, convene in the parliament building located on the Vienna Ring Road. From 2017 to 2022 they convened in the Redoute Wing of the Hofburg due to a renovation of the parliament building.

See also

• Constitution of Austria
• Austrian Parliament Building
• Imperial Council (Austria), the legislature between 1861 and 1918
• Imperial Diet (Austria), 1848–1849

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Austrian Parliament.

• The Austrian Parliament - Official Homepage (Engl. version)
• Austrian Parliament National Council Seating (DE version)
• Austrian Parliament Federal Council Seating (DE version)

48°12′29″N 16°21′33″E / 48.20806°N 16.35917°E / 48.20806; 16.35917

This page was last edited on 10 March 2024, at 22:41