At Stake in this Election: 

• All 183 seats in the Austrian National Council 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Alexander VAN DER BELLEN (since 26 January 2017) 

• Head of Government: Chancellor Karl NEHAMMER (since 6 December 2021) 

• Assembly: bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung) with a 61-seat Federal Council (Bundesrat) and a 183-seat National Council (Nationalrat) 

Electoral System:  

• The President is directly elected by absolute majority vote in up to two rounds and may serve up to two 6-year terms. 

• The Chancellor is appointed by the president. 

• All 61 members of the Federal Council are appointed by state parliaments. Members serve 5 or 6-year terms depending on their state of appointment. 

• All 183 members of the National Council are directly elected by proportional representation vote from single-seat constituencies and serve 5-year terms. 

Last Election: 

In the 2019 National Council election, the Austrian People’s Party won the largest share of seats (71) followed by 4 additional parties. Voter turnout was 76%. 

Information for Voters: 

Nationalratswahl 2024 / National Council Election 2024 (in German) 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 2 August 2024 

• Voter registration deadline: N/A; Voter registration is passive. For this election, voter register updates were completed on 9 July 2024. 

Main Parties in this Election: 

• The People’s Party (OVP) 

• Seats won in last election: 71 out of 183 

• Austrian Social Democratic Party (SPO) 

• Seats won in last election: 40 out of 183 

• Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) 

• Seats won in last election: 31 out of 183 

• The Greens – The Green Alternative (GREENS) 

• Seats won in last election: 26 out of 183 

• NEOS – The New Austria (NEOS) 

• Seats won in last election: 15 out of 183 

• Beer Party 

• Seats won in last election: 0 out of 183 

• MFG – Austria People – Freedom  - Fundamental Rights (MFG) 

• Seats won in last election: 0 out of 183 

• The Yellows 

• Seats won in last election: 0 out of 183 

• Madeleine Petrovic List 

• Seats won in last election: 0 out of 183 

• Gaza – Voices against the Genocide (GAZA) 

• Seats won in last election: 0 out of 183 

• Communist Party of Austria (KPO) 

• Seats won in last election: 0 out of 183 

• Independent candidates 

• Seats won in last election: 0 out of 183 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 9,132,380 (2023 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 6,396,812 (2024) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 13,409,590 (2023 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 17 July 1980, Ratified 31 March 1982 

• Gender Quota: No 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 75 out of 183 (41%) in the National Council and 29 out of 60 (48%) in the Federal Council 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.926, Very High, Rank 22 (2022) 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 9.8 (2023) 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 March 2007, Ratified 26 September 2008 

• Projected population with a disability: 1,461,181 (2023 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Austria: No 

• Election Access: Yes