Republic of Austria: President, 2 October 2016

At stake in this election:

• The office of the President of the Republic of Austria

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Interim Presidents[1]
  • President of the National Council: Doris BURES
  • Second President of the National Council: Karlheinz KOPF
  • Third President of the National Council: Norbert HOFER  
• Head of Government: Chancellor Werner FAYMANN (since 2 December 2008)
• Assembly: Austria has a bicameral Bundesversammlung (Federal Assembly) composed of the Bundesrat (Federal Council) and the Nationalrat (National Council). The Federal Council consists of 62 seats and the National Council consists of 183.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed, for a 6-year term, with eligibility for a second term.

Last Election:

• The election for President of Austria was held earlier in 2016, with voting being conducted in two rounds on 24 April and 22 May. In the second round of voting, Alexander VAN DER BELLEN narrowly defeated Norbert HOFER. However, due to inconsistencies in the handling of the ballots, the Freedom Party challenged the results, which was upheld by the constitutional court of Austria, thus prompting a third round of voting for president.

Note: This election was originally scheduled for 2 October 2016, but due to concerns over faulty envelope glue, this election was delayed until 4 December.  

Main candidates in the election:

• Alexander VAN DER BELLEN
  • Party: Independent[2]
• Norbert HOFER
  • Party: Freedom Party of Austria/Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs

Population and number of registered voters:

·         Population: 8,665,550 (July 2015 est.)

·         Registered Voters: 6,382,507 (2016)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 4,428,324 (July 2015 est.)

·         Is Austria a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Austria ratified CEDAW: Yes (31 March 1982)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: No

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 74 (30.20%)[3]

·         Human Development Index Position: 23 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Austria a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Austria ratified CRPD: Yes (26 September 2008)

·         Population with a disability: 1,299,833