Vienna City Guide

Government Austria is a parliamentary republic with the Federal President (“Bundespräsident”) as the head of state and the Federal Chancellor (“Bundeskanzler”) as the head of the government. Austria’s Parliament consists of two chambers: the so-called “Nationalrat” (National Council) and “Bundesrat” (Federal Council). Each Austrian 16 years or older can elect the members of the National Council for a term of five years. The Federal Council’s members are elected by the legislatures of each of Austria’s nine federal states for a term of four to six years. Since 1955 Austria is a member of the United Nations and since 1995 a member of the European Union.

The biggest parties that dominate Austrian political life are: ÖVP – Österreichische Volkspartei (Christian Democrats) SPÖ – Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs (Social Democrats) FPÖ – Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (National Conservatives) Die Grünen – Die Grünen – Die Grüne Alternative (Green party) BZÖ – Bündnis Zukunft Österreich (National Conservatives)

© 2016 Dwellworks

Page 5

Vienna City Guide