| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Parlament / Parliament |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Nationalrat / National Council |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Bundesrat / Federal Council
|
| LEGAL FRAMEWORK |
| Electoral Law |
10 July 1992
Last amendment: 30.12.2016 |
| Mode of designation |
directly elected 183 |
| Constituencies |
The 9 multi-member constituencies (from 7 to 36 seats each) correspond to the country's provinces (Länder); seats are allotted to each based on population. The provinces are broken down into 43 regional constituencies. |
| Voting system |
Proportional:
Closed party-list system with proportional representation applying the Hare method to the regional and provincial constituencies, and the d'Hondt method at the federal level; 4 per cent threshold for parties to gain representation.
There are no reserved seats or quotas for women, ethnic minorities or other categories.
Vacancies arising between general elections are filled by the "next-in-line" candidate on the list of the party which held the seat.
Voting is not compulsory. |
| Voter requirements |
- age: 16 years old on election day
- Austrian citizenship, including naturalized citizens
- Disqualifications: unconditional imprisonment exceeding one year in case of crimes committed against the Republic or related to elections or conditional imprisonment exceeding five years for other offences. The disqualification expires after the prison sentence term has been completed and any preventive measures involving the deprivation of liberty have been carried out or lifted.
Citizens overseas can vote without restriction. |
| CANDIDATES |
| Eligibility |
- qualified electors
- age: 18 on election day
- Austrian citizenship, including naturalized citizens
Ineligibility: unconditional imprisonment exceeding six months in case of crimes committed with intent or conditional imprisonment exceeding one year. The disqualification is valid for six months after the sentence has been completed and any preventive measures involving the deprivation of liberty have been carried out or lifted. |
| Incompatibilities |
- Federal President
- members of the Federal Council
- members of the European Parliament
- members of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court or an administrative court
- President of the Audit Office
- Parliamentary Commissioners (Ombudsmen)
- Executives of stock companies, private limited companies, foundations or savings banks
- Judges, public prosecutors, civil servants in the police force as well as in other public security services, civil servants in the military service
- Employees in the fiscal or land assessment service are generally prohibited from continuing their service assignments, but exceptions may be possible. |
| Candidacy requirements |
- nomination by a party
- support of three outgoing National Council members or by 100 to 500 registered voters (depending on the size of provincial constituencies)
- submission of the list of candidates and payment of 435 euros to the provincial election authorities
- the number of candidates put forward by each party cannot exceed twice the number of seats to be filled
- each candidate can appear on only one regional party |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Electoral system module
