Austria: National Council, 15 October 2017

At stake in this election:

• 183 seats in the National Council (Nationalrat)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Federal President Alexander VAN DER BELLEN (since 26 January 2017)
• Head of Government: Federal Chancellor Christian KERN (since 17 May 2016)
• Assembly: Bicameral parliament consisting of the Federal Council (Bundesrat) with 61 seats and the National Council (Nationalrat) with 183 seats

Description of electoral system:

• The Federal President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 6-year term. Only the Federal President is elected ad personam; all the other elections are by party list.
• The Federal Chancellor is appointed by the President.
• The members of the Federal Council (Bundesrat) are elected and delegated by the diets of the 9 States for the duration of the legislative period of the diet in question. They need not be members of the diet that delegates them but must be eligible for it. The Federal Council’s presidency is rotating on a six-month basis among the 9 States.
• Members of the National Council (Nationalrat) are elected through an open-list proportional representation system to serve 5-year terms. In case the office of the Federal President is vacant, the three Presidents of the National Council act jointly as Head of State.

Last Election:

• The last election for the national council occurred in 2013. The Social Democratic Party of Austria won 52 seats, which was the largest share. The Austrian People’s Party followed with 47 seats.

Main candidates in the election:

• Social Democratic Party of Austria / Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs
  • Leader: Christian KERN
  • Seats won in last election: 52
• Sebastian Kurz’s List – the new Austrian People’s Party / Liste Sebastian Kurz - die neue Volkspartei
  • Leader: Sebastian KURZ
  • Seats won in last election: 47
• Freedom Party of Austria / Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs
  • Leader: Heinz-Christian STRACHE
  • Seats won in last election: 40
• The Greens / Die Grünen
  • Leader: Ulrike LUNACEK
  • Seats won in last election: 24
• NEOS – The New Austria together with Irmgard Griss, Citizens for Freedom and Responsibility / Das Neue Österreich gemeinsam mit Irmgard Griss, Bürgerinnen und Bürger für Freiheit und Verantwortung
  • Leader: Matthias STROLZ
  • Seats won in last election: 9
• Peter Pilz’s List / Liste Peter Pilz
  • Leader: Peter PILZ
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Free List Austria & FPS Dr. Karl Schnell’s List / Freie Liste Österreich & FPS Liste Dr. Karl Schnell
  • Leader: Barbara ROSENKRANZ
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• The Whites – Sovereignty of the People. We all decide in Austria. The People’s Movement / Die Weissen - Das Recht geht vom Volk aus. Wir alle entscheiden in Österreich. Die Volksbewegung.
  • Leader: Isabella HEYDARFADAI
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Roland Dueringer’s List - My Vote Counts / Liste Roland Dueringer - Meine Stimme Gilt!
  • Leader: Roland DUERINGER
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Communist Party of Austria and Platform PLUS – open list / Kommunistische Partei Österreichs und Plattform PLUS - offene Liste
  • Leader: Mirko MESSNER
  • Seats won in last election: 0

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 8,772,865 (2017)
• Registered Voters: 6,401,304 (2017) 

Gender Data:

• Female Population: 4,460,424 (2017)
• Is Austria a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)
• Has Austria ratified CEDAW: Yes (31 March 1982)
• Gender Quota: No formal quota in parliament
• Female candidates in this election: Yes
• Number of Female Parliamentarians: 74
• Human Development Index Position: 24
• 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 disability: 1.3 Million (wide definition, 2015 estimation)