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All 183 seats in the National Council 92 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Legislative elections will be held in Austria by 2029 to elect the 29th National Council, the lower house of Austria's bicameral parliament.
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All 183 seats in the National Council 92 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Legislative elections will be held in Austria by 2029 to elect the 29th National Council, the lower house of Austria's bicameral parliament.
The 2024 legislative election resulted in the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) becoming the largest party in parliament for the first time. The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) finished in second place after suffering significant losses and the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) dropped to third place for the first time in the party's history even though its vote share was almost identical to the 2019 election. NEOS also obtained its best-ever result while the Greens remained in parliament albeit with a reduced seat share. No other party was able to clear the 4% threshold to win seats.
The 183 members of the National Council are elected by open list proportional representation at three levels; a single national constituency, nine constituencies based on the federal states, and 39 regional constituencies. Seats are apportioned to the regional constituencies based on the results of the most recent census. For parties to receive any representation in the National Council, they must either win at least one seat in a constituency directly, or clear a 4 percent national electoral threshold. [1]
Following the elections, seats are allocated to the candidates of successful parties and lists in a three-stage process, starting with the regional constituencies. Seats are distributed according to the Hare quota in the regional constituencies, and with unallocated seats distributed at the state constituency level. [2] Any remaining seats are then allocated using the D'Hondt method at the federal level, to ensure overall proportionality between a party's national vote share and its share of parliamentary seats. [3]
In addition to voting for a political party, voters may cast three preferential votes for specific candidates of that party, but are not required to do so. [4] These additional votes do not affect the proportional allocation based on the vote for the party or list, but can change the rank order of candidates on a party's lists at the federal, state, and regional level. The threshold to increase the position of a candidate on a federal party list is 7 percent, compared to 10 percent at the state level, and 14 percent at the regional level. The names of candidates on regional party lists are printed on the ballot and can be marked with an "x" to indicate the voter's preference. Preference votes for candidates on party lists at the state and federal level, however, must be written in by the voter, either by writing the name or the rank number of the candidate in a blank spot provided for that purpose. [5]
| Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Method | FPÖ | ÖVP | SPÖ | NEOS | Grüne | KPÖ | BIER | Others | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market-Lazarsfeld | 9–10 Dec 2024 | 2,000 | Online | 36 | 21 | 19 | 10 | 8 | 3 | – | 3 | 15 |
| Unique Research | 2–4 Dec 2024 | 800 | Phone + Online | 35 | 20 | 21 | 12 | 8 | 2 | – | 2 | 14 |
| INSA | 2–4 Dec 2024 | 1,004 | Online | 34 | 21 | 20 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 13 |
| Market-Lazarsfeld | 2–3 Dec 2024 | 2,000 | Online | 35 | 20 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 4 | – | 3 | 15 |
| Market-Lazarsfeld | 25–26 Nov 2024 | 2,000 | Online | 33 | 21 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 4 | – | 4 | 12 |
| OGM | 25–26 Nov 2024 | 1,018 | Online | 32 | 24 | 20 | 12 | 7 | – | – | 5 | 8 |
| Market-Lazarsfeld | 18–19 Nov 2024 | 2,000 | Online | 32 | 23 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 3 | – | 4 | 9 |
| INSA | 11–13 Nov 2024 | 1,000 | Online | 32 | 22 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| Market-Lazarsfeld | 11–12 Nov 2024 | 2,000 | Online | 33 | 23 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 3 | – | 3 | 10 |
| Market-Lazarsfeld | 4–5 Nov 2024 | 2,000 | Online | 34 | 23 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 3 | – | 2 | 11 |
| Market-Lazarsfeld | 28–29 Oct 2024 | 2,000 | Online | 33 | 23 | 21 | 10 | 8 | 3 | – | 2 | 10 |
| OGM | 25–28 Oct 2024 | 1,008 | Online | 32 | 25 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 2 | – | 3 | 7 |
| Market-Lazarsfeld | 21–22 Oct 2024 | 2,000 | Online | 33 | 23 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 4 | – | 2 | 10 |
| Market-Lazarsfeld | 14–15 Oct 2024 | 2,000 | Online | 32 | 25 | 19 | 10 | 8 | 3 | – | 3 | 7 |
| Market-Lazarsfeld | 7–8 Oct 2024 | 2,000 | Online | 33 | 26 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 2 | – | 3 | 7 |
| Market-Lazarsfeld | 30 Sep – 1 Oct 2024 | 2,000 | Online | 30 | 25 | 20 | 11 | 8 | 2 | – | 4 | 5 |
| 2024 legislative election | 29 Sep 2024 | – | – | 28.8 | 26.3 | 21.1 | 9.1 | 8.2 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 2.5 |
Proportional representation (PR) refers to any type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions among voters. The essence of such systems is that all votes cast – or almost all votes cast – contribute to the result and are effectively used to help elect someone. Under other election systems, a bare plurality or a scant majority are all that are used to elect candidates. PR systems provide balanced representation to different factions, reflecting how votes are cast.
The electoral threshold, or election threshold, is the minimum share of votes that a candidate or political party requires before they become entitled to representation or additional seats in a legislature.
Mixed-member proportional representation is a type of representation provided by some mixed electoral systems which combine local winner-take-all elections with a compensatory tier with party lists, in a way that produces proportional representation overall. Like proportional representation, MMP is not a single system, but a principle and goal of several similar systems. Some systems designed to achieve proportionality are still called mixed-member proportional, even if they generally fall short of full proportionality. In this case, they provide semi-proportional representation.
Overhang seats are constituency seats won in an election under the traditional mixed-member proportional (MMP) system, when a party's share of the nationwide votes would entitle it to fewer seats than the number of individual constituencies won.
Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a party's candidates are elected. This is as opposed to closed list, in which party lists are in a predetermined, fixed order by the time of the election and gives the general voter no influence at all on the position of the candidates placed on the party list.
On the federal level, there are two main elections in Austria: presidential elections and elections to determine the composition of the National Council (Nationalrat), the lower house of Austria's bicameral Parliament. The upper house, the Federal Council consists of delegates from the states and is not directly elected. These elections are governed by federal law, which also applies to European Parliament elections.
The 2005 Burgenland state election was held on 9 October 2005 to elect the members of the 19th Landtag of Burgenland.
The German federal election system regulates the election of the members of the national parliament, called the Bundestag. According to the principles governing the elections laws, set down in Art. 38 of the German Basic Law, elections are to be universal, direct, free, equal, and secret. Furthermore, the German Basic Law stipulates that Bundestag elections are to take place every four years and that one can vote, and be elected, upon reaching the age of 18. All other stipulations for the federal elections are regulated by the Federal Electoral Act. Elections always take place on a Sunday. Mail votes are possible upon application.
A floterial district is a legislative district that includes several separate districts that independently would not be entitled to seats in the legislative body, but whose combined population entitles the area to another seat. It is a technique that a state may be authorized to use to achieve more equal apportionment by population during redistricting.
The 2010 Burgenland state election was held on 30 May 2010 to elect the members of the 20th Landtag of Burgenland.
Legislative elections were held in Austria on 15 October 2017 to elect the 26th National Council, the lower house of Austria's bicameral parliament. The snap election was called when the coalition government between the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) and Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) was dissolved in May by the latter party's new leader Sebastian Kurz.
Legislative elections were held in Austria on 29 September 2019 to elect the 27th National Council, the lower house of Austria's bicameral parliament. The snap election was called in the wake of the Ibiza affair in May, which caused the resignation of Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache and the collapse of the governing coalition of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). The government subsequently lost a motion of no confidence in parliament, before ÖVP Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was replaced by non-partisan Brigitte Bierlein on an interim basis.
The 2015 Burgenland state election was held on 31 May 2015 to elect the members of the 21st Landtag of Burgenland.
The 2020 Burgenland state election was held on 26 January 2020 to elect the members of the 22nd Landtag of Burgenland. The snap election was called in the wake of the Ibiza affair in May 2019, which caused the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) to terminate its coalition with the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ).
Legislative elections were held in Austria on 29 September 2024 to elect the 28th National Council, the lower house of Austria's bicameral parliament.
The 2019 Vorarlberg state election was held on 13 October 2019 to elect the members of the Landtag of Vorarlberg.
The 2019 Zürich cantonal elections were held on 24 March 2019, to elect the seven members of the cantonal Executive Council and the 180 members of the Cantonal Council. All five incumbents running were re-elected to the Executive Council, as well as green candidate Martin Neukom and Swiss People's Party candidate Natalie Rickli.
Salzburg City, also known as Electoral District 5A, is one of the 39 multi-member regional electoral districts of the National Council, the lower house of the Austrian Parliament, the national legislature of Austria. The electoral district was created in 1992 when electoral regulations were amended to add regional electoral districts to the existing state-wide electoral districts and came into being at the following legislative election in 1994. It is conterminous with the city of Salzburg in the state of Salzburg. The electoral district currently elects three of the 183 members of the National Council using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2019 legislative election the constituency had 99,178 registered electors.
East Tyrol, also known as Electoral District 7E, is one of the 39 multi-member regional electoral districts of the National Council, the lower house of the Austrian Parliament, the national legislature of Austria. The electoral district was created in 1992 when electoral regulations were amended to add regional electoral districts to the existing state-wide electoral districts and came into being at the following legislative election in 1994. It is conterminous with the district of Lienz in the state of Tyrol. The electoral district currently elects one of the 183 members of the National Council using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2019 legislative election the constituency had 39,536 registered electors.
The next state election in Burgenland will take place on 19 January 2025.
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