Austrian Green Party
Encyclopedia
The Greens – The Green Alternative ( or Die Grünen, also called the Austrian Green Party) is a political party
in the Austrian parliament
.
The party was formed in 1986 with the name Grüne Alternative, following the merger of the more conservative Green party Vereinte Grüne Österreichs (United Greens of Austria VGÖ
, founded 1982) and the more progressive party Alternative Liste Österreichs (Alternative List Austria ALÖ
, founded 1982). Since 1993, the party has carried the official name Die Grünen – Die Grüne Alternative (Grüne), but refers to itself in English as "Austrian Greens". There are still differences between the former members of the old Alternative and VGÖ factions within the party, which is reflected in the different opinions between the national party and the state parties.
Apart from ecological
issues such as environmental protection
, the Greens also campaign for the rights of minorities
and advocate a socio-ecological (ökosozial) tax reform
. Their basic values according to their charter in 2001 are: "direct democracy, non-violence, ecology, solidarity, feminism and self-determination" http://www.gruene.at/uploads/media/grundsatzprogramm2001.pdf. The majority of the issues that the Greens champion cater to an especially young, urban, and higher-educated class of voters.
The party is a member of the European Green Party
.
began in 1978 with the successful campaign to prevent the opening of the nuclear power
plant in Zwentendorf
(which had been favoured by Bruno Kreisky
's government), the Green Party was born in 1984 during the successful sit-in protests which prevented the Danube
power plant at Hainburg
from being built.
mandates. In the early elections to National Council in 2002, the Green Party nationwide received 9.47% of votes, and won 17 mandates to the National Council. At that time, it was the highest number of votes garnered by any European Green party.
When the Greens took their seats in parliament for the first time, they chose to appear somewhat unconventional. They initially refused to adapt their behaviour to that of the other parties; an example of this is their refusal to elect a chairperson (Klubobmann / Klubobfrau) and designated a puppet made out of straw instead. Delegates would appear in parliament dressed in casual wear like jeans and sneakers. Worldwide attention was drawn when the Green delegate Andreas Wabl hoisted a swastika
flag on the speakers podium in the Austrian parliament, protesting against then Federal President
Kurt Waldheim
.
After the national election in 2002, the Greens entered into preliminary negotiations about a possible coalition government with the conservative ÖVP. During negotiations, party leadership was accused of internally black-mailing skeptical members. Negotiations between the two parties were subsequently called off, after the results with the ÖVP were not sufficient. The Green youth organisation Grünalternative Jugend (Green Alternative Youth or GAJ) briefly occupied the rooms of the Green parliamentary club in the Austrian parliament building in protest.
In 2003 three Green federal counsellors formed their own club in the Upper House Federal Council
(Bundesrat) of Parliament.
After the 2006 elections the Greens gained 4 seats and ended up with 21 seats and became the 3rd largest party in Parliament however did not have enough mandates to form a coalition government with either the ÖVP or SPÖ and became the largest opposition party while the SPÖ and ÖVP formed a coalition government.
. The left green bar shows all the chairpersons (Bundessprecher, abbreviated as "CP") of the Green party, and the right bar shows the corresponding make-up of the Austrian government at that time. The red (SPÖ
) and black (ÖVP
) colours correspond to which party led the federal government (Bundesregierung, abbreviated as "Govern."). The last names of the respective chancellors are shown, the Roman numeral stands for the cabinets
.
|----- bgcolor="#DDDDDD"
! colspan="4"| Results of the Grüne in National Council
elections
|-
! align="center" | Year
! align="center" | Percentage of votes received
! align="center" | Mandates out of total of 183 seats
! align="center" | Further information
|-
| align="center" | 2008
| align="center" | 10.4% (-0.6)
| align="center" | 20 (-1)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 2006
| align="center" | 11.0% (+1.5)
| align="center" | 21 (+4)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 2002
| align="center" | 9.5% (+2.1)
| align="center" | 17 (+3)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 1999
| align="center" | 7.4% (+2.6)
| align="center" | 14 (+5)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 1995
| align="center" | 4.8% (-2.5)
| align="center" | 9 (-4)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 1994
| align="center" | 7.3% (+2.5)
| align="center" | 13 (+3)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 1990
| align="center" | 4.8% (0)
| align="center" | 10 (+2)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 1986
| align="center" | 4.8% (+1.4)
| align="center" | 8 (+8)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 1983
| align="center" | 3.4% (+3.4)
| align="center" | 0 (0)
| align="center" |
|}>
) of Austrian states
and communal governments. Following is an analysis of the party on the state
(Länder) level:
Burgenland
The Burgenland Greens were able to take their seats in the Landtag (state assembly) for the first time in 2000. The party received 5.49% of the tally, which meant two mandates. In the state elections in 2005 these two seats were reaffirmed with 5.21% received of all votes cast.
Carinthia
In the southernmost state of Carinthia, different Green parties ran state elections: the KEL/AL in 1984, Anderes Kärnten in 1989 and 1994, and Demokratie 99 in 1999. These parties were however never able to enter the Landtag (state assembly) since the Carinthian voting system requires a party to win a direct mandate in one of the four regional election districts, which means effectively a 10%-threshold
in order to enter.
Only in 2004 were the Carinthian Greens finally able to take their seats in the state assembly, where they are represented by the cabaret
player Rolf Holub and Barbara Lesjak. On a regional level, for example in the state capital Klagenfurt
, the Carinthian Greens have already played a political role for a longer time. In the Klagenfurt city council
the Greens are represented by Andrea Wulz, Matthias Koechl, Angelika Hoedl and Reinhold Gasper. Since the local election in 2003 the Klagenfurt Greens were able to take one of nine seats in the proportional city-government, Andrea Wulz is the town councillor for issues relating to women, family matters and social housing projects.
Lower Austria
In 1998 the Lower Austrian Greens were represented with two delegates in the state assembly. In the state elections in 2003 the Greens received 7.22% and thus won four mandates, which meant they had official club status in the assembly. With Madeleine Petrovic
the Lower Austrian Greens have a former federal spokeswoman and one of the most outspoken animal activists of Austria as their leader (Klubobfrau). In 2005 the Lower Austrian Greens managed to win and take their seats in 100 municipal assemblies and as of 2005 had four vice-mayors. Their managing director in Lower Austria is Mr. Thomas Huber
Salzburg
After the state elections in 1989 the Salzburg Greens had two mandates in the Salzburg state assembly, in 1994 three and in 1999 again two. Under the leadership of Cyriak Schwaighofer the Greens performed under their expectations in the 2004 state elections and could not achieve the desired club status of at least three mandates. As voter-current analyses showed, the small increases in votes were largely due to former voters of the Liberal Forum
(LiF), which did not run in the Salzburg elections. In March 2009 they were down from 8% to 7.3%, keeping their 2 seats in the Parliament of Salzburgerland.
The Bürgerliste (Citizen List) is the common platform of the Greens of the city of Salzburg
. Like many other autonomous municipal groups it carries its own name.
. In the Graz city-council the Greens are represented by Sigi Binder, Lisa Rücker, Hermann Candussi and Christina Jahn.
Styria has the largest Austrian Green youth organization in Austria, called Grüne Jugend Steiermark (Green Youth Styria). Beside the Green Youth Styria there also exists Austria's first Green student's organization, the ECO Students.
the Greens (official name: Die Grünen – die Grüne Alternative Tirol) were able to win seats and placed in 1994 Eva Lichtenberger
as Austria's first Green state councillor
in a local government, responsible for environmental affairs.
The 2003 Tyrolean Landtag
(state assembly) elections were the best ever for the Austrian Greens, winning 15.59% of all votes cast. In the capital city of Innsbruck
the Greens reached approximately 27% of the vote. The Tyrolean election result also meant that the Greens could for the first time in history nominate a member to the Upper House of Parliament. Since 2003 the Green delegate to the Federal Council
(Bundesrat) of Parliament is Eva Konrad, former chairlady of the Austrian National Union of Students (Österreichische HochschülerInnenschaft http://oeh.ac.at/oeh/dieoeh/English) of the University of Innsbruck.
The communal elections of 2004 brought a doubling of the mandates for the Tyrolean Greens. City elections in Innsbruck
in 2006 were a success for the Greens and they now have 8 of the 40 seats in the parliament of Innsbruck
.
In the elections to the European parliament the Tyrolean Greens obtained 17.32%, their best result until then. Eva Lichtenberger subsequently changed her position to become a Member of the European Parliament
(MEP). The results in Innsbruck were particularly good: there the Green party received 28.28%, which made it the strongest party, even before the Christian-democratic ÖVP
and the social-democratic SPÖ
. The Greens were able to score on a number of issues that they have been fighting for years. Besides the social topics above all the problems of transit traffic over the Alps
was important.
The Tyrolean Greens have experts on traffic issues with MEP Eva Lichtenberger, the national speaker and club chairman (Klubobmann) Georg Willi and the speaker of group of regional of Innsbruck Gerhard Fritz. The issue of transit traffic through the Tyrol is of great importance, because the state is troubled by the massive transit traffic between Germany and Italy over the Brenner Pass
. Since the Tyrol sits right in between Germany and Italy, the bulk of the commercial traffic passes through there. This heavy-duty traffic has devastating effects on the fragile alpine environment and decreases the quality of life for the inhabitants. Since the entry to the European Union, Austria had to give up any quota limitations on how much international traffic coming from EU-countries is allowed to pass through its territory.
The Tyrolean Greens accused to federal government of not having pushed for a better deal with the European Union concerning transit-traffic and in effect abandoning the concerns of the citizens. They also heavily criticised the government's failure to negotiate a follow-up of the 1994 transit-treaty signed with the EU. Apart from the Greens, various anti-transit civic movements have formed to protest against the environmental damages caused by the traffic.
Sitting in the National Council is Kurt Grünewald, a Tyrolean member of parliament, as well as the former leader of the Greens Alexander Van der Bellen
, who has Tyrolean roots (he spent a part of his youth there and went to high school in Innsbruck).
The results of the Tyrolean Landtag elections:
|----- bgcolor="#DDDDDD"
! colspan="3"| Results of the Greens in Tyrolean State Assembly elections
|-
! align="center" | Year
! align="center" | Percentage of votes received
! align="center" | Mandates out of total of 36 seats
|-
| align="center" | 2003
| align="center" | 15.59% (+7.57)
| align="center" | 5 (+2)
|-
| align="center" | 1999
| align="center" | 8.02% (-2.66)
| align="center" | 3 (-1)
|-
| align="center" | 1994
| align="center" | 10.68% (+2.42)
| align="center" | 4 (+1)
|-
| align="center" | 1989
| align="center" | 8.26% (+5.34)
| align="center" | 3 (+3)
|-
| align="center" | 1984
| align="center" | 2.92%
| align="center" | 0
|}>
2003 delegates: Sepp Brugger, Maria Scheiber, Uschi Schwarzl, Elisabeth Wiesmüller und Georg Willi (club chairman);
1999 delegates: Maria Scheiber, Elisabeth Wiesmüller, Georg Willi (club chairman);
1994 delegates: Bernhard Ernst, Franz Klug, Max Schneider und Georg Willi (club chairman [Klubobmann]);
1989 delegates: Eva Lichtenberger, Jutta Seethaler, Franz Klug).
Upper Austria
In 1997 the Upper Austrian Greens successfully entered the Upper Austrian Landtag (state assembly) for the first time. After the state elections in 2003 (state elections in Upper Austria are held every six years, not five like in the other states), the Greens were able to win even further seats. The campaign was already aimed at gaining ministerial seats in the state government. Since the conservative Christian-democratic ÖVP was the strongest party, this would have meant for the Greens to enter into a coalition government with them (the so-called "Schwarz-Grün" [Black-Green] coalition, named after the party-colours). This new political constellation was quite controversial amongst party members on both sides. In the Green party, the leader Rudi Anschober was able to convince party members and after some dealing became state councillor for environmental affairs. The Greens of the state capital of Linz
under the leadership of city councillor Jürgen Himmelbauer were most against this black-green project.
On the national level, the Upper Austrian Greens were able to nominate and send to the parliamentary Upper House Federal Council
(Bundesrat) councillor Ruperta Lichtenecker.
Vorarlberg
The Vorarlberg Greens were the first to ever win mandates in an Austrian state assembly election. Already in 1984 they were able to win 13% of the votes in the Vorarlberg state assembly elections, which for that time was an absolute sensation. The charismatic alpine farmer Kaspanaze Simma from Bregenzerwald
was the leading candidate, it was mainly due to his efforts why the party was so instantly successful. Because of their strength, the Greens were allowed to form their own parliamentary fraction (Klub), which caused some logistical problems as the newly constructed Landtag building in 1981 only provided space for the traditional three parties (ÖVP, SPÖ, FPÖ), not four. Since the traditional organic farming
sector is important in the western Austrian regions, the Greens were able to gain support.
In the following years the Greens were able to consolidate their position by gaining seats on the communal and municipal level. Occasionally they lost their official club status in the state assembly, when they fared poorly from 1999 to 2004. In 2006 the speaker of the Vorarlberg Greens was Johannes Rauch.
The results of the Vorarlberg Landtag elections:
|----- bgcolor="#DDDDDD"
! colspan="3"| Results of the Greens in the Vorarlberg State Assembly elections
|-
! align="center" | Year
! align="center" | Percentage of votes received
! align="center" | Mandates out of total of 36 seats
|-
| align="center" | 2004
| align="center" | 10,2% (+4.17)
| align="center" | 4 (+2)
|-
| align="center" | 1999
| align="center" | 6,03% (-1.73)
| align="center" | 2 (-1)
|-
| align="center" | 1994
| align="center" | 7,76% (+2.58)
| align="center" | 3 (+1)
|-
| align="center" | 1989
| align="center" | 5,18% (-7.82)
| align="center" | 2 (-2)
|-
| align="center" | 19841
| align="center" | 13,00%
| align="center" | 4
|}>
1 Combined result of ALÖ
and VGÖ
Vienna
The Viennese Greens started candidating in the Vienna Gemeinderat (municipal council or state assembly) in 1983 and were able to enter in 1991. Over the years they have been able to continually gather support. A lot of support has been coming from former Liberal Forum
voters, after the liberals failed to enter any legislature. The traditional strongholds in Vienna for the Greens are the districts of Neubau
(2005: 43.26%), Josefstadt
(32.26%), Alsergrund
(29.43%), Mariahilf
(28.97%) and Wieden
(25.14%).
In the 2001 Gemeinderat elections, the Greens were able to win the majority of a district for the first time. In the district of Neubau
they won 32.55% and were able to nominate the Bezirksvorsteher (mayor of the district). The results of 2001 also allowed the Viennese Greens to nominate Stefan Schennach as federal councilor to the Upper House of Parliament (Bundesrat
). But despite the strong gains, the Greens were not able to enter into a coalition government with the SPÖ
, since the social-democrats were able to win an absolute majority.
The European Parliament election, 2004
were the best for the Viennese Greens so far. From the total tally, they received 22%, which put them ahead of the Christian-democratic ÖVP
and placed them on second position behind the SPÖ (37.7%). In Neubau the Greens received 41%. They were also able to win first place in the districts of Wieden, Mariahilf, Josefstadt and Alsergrund.
In the 2005 Gemeinderat elections, the Greens were able to win votes, but missed their target of becoming the second most powerful party and ended up on fourth place, right behind the right-wing FPÖ
. Because of the different weighing by districts, the Greens received 14 mandates, one more than the FPÖ. They were also able to place another city-councillor. In the districts, the party was able to consolidate their holding on Neubau, as well as win the majority of votes in Josefstadt. With that, the Greens were able to nominate a second Green district-mayor. The second place was won in the districts of Leopoldstadt
, Margareten
, Mariahilf, Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus
and Alsergrund
.
The Green delegates to the Viennese Gemeinderat or Landtag as of 2006 were: Maria Vassilakou (club-chairlady [Klubobfrau]), Waltraut Antonov, Heidi Cammerlander, Christoph Chorherr
, Sabine Gretner, Susanne Jerusalem, Alev Korun
, Rüdiger Maresch, Martin Margulies
, Sigrid Pilz, Ingrid Puller, Marie Ringler, Marco Schreuder, Claudia Sommer-Smolik. The two city-councillors are David Ellensohn and Monika Vana.
The results of the Viennese Gemeinderat elections:
|----- bgcolor="#DDDDDD"
! colspan="4"| Results of the Greens in the Viennese State Assembly elections
|-
! align="center" | Year
! align="center" | Percentage of votes received
! align="center" | Mandates out of total of 100 seats
! align="center" | Further information
|-
| align="center" | 2005
| align="center" | 14,63% (+2.18)
| align="center" | 14 (+3)
| align="center" | 1 Federal Councillor
, 2 City Councillors
|-
| align="center" | 2001
| align="center" | 12,45% (+4.51)
| align="center" | 11 (+4)
| align="center" | 1 Federal Councillor, 1 City Councillor
|-
| align="center" | 1996
| align="center" | 7,94% (-1.14)
| align="center" | 7 (±0)
| align="center" | 1 City Councillor
|-
| align="center" | 1991
| align="center" | 9,08% (+4.68)
| align="center" | 7 (+7)
| align="center" | 1 City Councillor
|-
| align="center" | 1987
| align="center" | 4,4% (+1.9)
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 19831
| align="center" | 2,5% (+2.5)
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" |
|}>
1 ran as Alternative Liste Wien (ALW)
The highest body is the Bundeskongress (Federal Congress), which convenes at least once a year. All state organisations send delegates, also the immigrants-organisation is allowed to send delegates as "the tenth Austrian state
". The Federal Congress decides the electoral lists for the National Council
elections or elections to the European parliament
. The congress also elects the federal spokesperson (BundesprecherIn). The congress also decides the party program and sets the party guidelines.
The Bundesvorstand (Federal Board of Trustees) has in the last few years developed itself into the actual decision-making centre. It meets at least once a week, mostly on Tuesdays, and determines the guidelines of the daily politics. The board also has decides over the party finances.
The extended federal board of trustees (Erweiterter Bundesvorstand) consists of a smaller number of delegates from each state and meets at least once a month. It takes care of the implementation of the party-guidelines, which were set by the party congress. It also chooses the representatives of the party spokesperson.
The state organisations (Landesorganisationen) are for their most part organised similarly: There are state meetings, which sometimes convene as a members meeting or a delegates meeting. Similar to the Federal Board of Trustees, there are the State Board of Trustees (Landesvorstände). The party charter also allows for each state group to hold a vote on basic issues as well that affect the whole party.
Independently in the National Council
there also exists a Green National Council Club (faction), which can independently specify its guidelines. In the last years however an increasing fusion of the work between party and its club was noticeable. Michaela Sburny, successor of Franz Raft since June 2004 as federal executive manager of the Greens, was allowed to keep her National Council mandate. This means she is allowed to hold two offices at the same time, something that was frowned upon by the Greens previously.
There are different Green or Greenish organisations within the party and associated with it. These include:
The education and training of new Green politicians is done by the Grüne Bildungswerkstatt (http://www.gbw.at/), which is an independent voluntary association
. The Grüne Bildungswerkstatt is financed by the republic, as regulated by Austrian law for the equal treatment of all parliamentary parties.
, the painter Friedensreich Hundertwasser
, the late actor Herbert Fux
, the mayor of Steyregg
Josef Buchner
(the first Green mayor in Austria – in 1987 excluded from the Green parliamentary club), Freda Meissner-Blau
and Günther Nenning
, with Nobel prize
laureate Konrad Lorenz
supporting the 1984 protests at Hainburg.
Today, Green politicians include (in alphabetical order)
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the Austrian parliament
Parliament of Austria
In the Parliament of Austria is vested the legislative power of the Republic of Austria. The institution consists of two chambers,* the National Council and* the Federal Council ....
.
The party was formed in 1986 with the name Grüne Alternative, following the merger of the more conservative Green party Vereinte Grüne Österreichs (United Greens of Austria VGÖ
Vgo
Vgo, or Ugo, for "Hughes", was a stonemason active in Provence during the twelfth century. He left his signature on several Romanesque religious edifices in Provence and mainly in Tricastin:* Vaison Cathedral* Notre Dame d'Aubune* St Blaise de Bauzon...
, founded 1982) and the more progressive party Alternative Liste Österreichs (Alternative List Austria ALÖ
Alo
Alo or ALO can refer to:* Afghanistan Liberation Organization* Ahwaz Liberation Organisation * Air liaison officer* Alloa railway station in Clackmannanshire, Scotland* Alo , also known as Tu`a...
, founded 1982). Since 1993, the party has carried the official name Die Grünen – Die Grüne Alternative (Grüne), but refers to itself in English as "Austrian Greens". There are still differences between the former members of the old Alternative and VGÖ factions within the party, which is reflected in the different opinions between the national party and the state parties.
Apart from ecological
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
issues such as environmental protection
Environmental protection
Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, on individual, organizational or governmental level, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and our technology the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently...
, the Greens also campaign for the rights of minorities
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
and advocate a socio-ecological (ökosozial) tax reform
Tax reform
Tax reform is the process of changing the way taxes are collected or managed by the government.Tax reformers have different goals. Some seek to reduce the level of taxation of all people by the government. Some seek to make the tax system more progressive or less progressive. Some seek to simplify...
. Their basic values according to their charter in 2001 are: "direct democracy, non-violence, ecology, solidarity, feminism and self-determination" http://www.gruene.at/uploads/media/grundsatzprogramm2001.pdf. The majority of the issues that the Greens champion cater to an especially young, urban, and higher-educated class of voters.
The party is a member of the European Green Party
European Green Party
The European Green Party is the Green political party at European level. As such it is a federation of green parties in Europe.-History:...
.
History
While the Austrian Green movementGreen Movement
The Green Movement refers to a series of actions after the 2009 Iranian presidential election, in which protesters demanded the removal of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from office...
began in 1978 with the successful campaign to prevent the opening of the nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
plant in Zwentendorf
Zwentendorf
Zwentendorf an der Donau is a small market municipality in Lower Austria, Austria, with 3,280 inhabitants. It is located at , in the Tullnerfeld on the southern bank of the Danube. The place attained celebrity as the site of the only Austrian nuclear power station, which was established here, but...
(which had been favoured by Bruno Kreisky
Bruno Kreisky
Bruno Kreisky was an Austrian politician who served as Foreign Minister from 1959 to 1966 and as Chancellor from 1970 to 1983. Aged 72 at the end of his chancellorship, he was the oldest acting Chancellor after World War II....
's government), the Green Party was born in 1984 during the successful sit-in protests which prevented the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
power plant at Hainburg
Hainburg an der Donau
Hainburg an der Donau is a town in the Bruck an der Leitha district, Lower Austria, Austria.-Geography:The city Hainburg is located next to the Danube river and Bratislava in Slovakia and 50 km east of Vienna. It is part of the Industrial Quarter Industrieviertel in Lower Austria.45.87% of the...
from being built.
Federal level
In the 1986 Austrian parliamentary elections the Green Party started off with 4.82% of all votes cast and entered parliament with eight National CouncilNational Council of Austria
The National Council is one of the two houses of the Austrian parliament. According to the constitution, the National Council and the complementary Federal Council are peers...
mandates. In the early elections to National Council in 2002, the Green Party nationwide received 9.47% of votes, and won 17 mandates to the National Council. At that time, it was the highest number of votes garnered by any European Green party.
When the Greens took their seats in parliament for the first time, they chose to appear somewhat unconventional. They initially refused to adapt their behaviour to that of the other parties; an example of this is their refusal to elect a chairperson (Klubobmann / Klubobfrau) and designated a puppet made out of straw instead. Delegates would appear in parliament dressed in casual wear like jeans and sneakers. Worldwide attention was drawn when the Green delegate Andreas Wabl hoisted a swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
flag on the speakers podium in the Austrian parliament, protesting against then Federal President
President of Austria
The President of Austria is the federal head of state of Austria. Though theoretically entrusted with great power by the constitution, in practice the President acts, for the most part, merely as a ceremonial figurehead...
Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Josef Waldheim was an Austrian diplomat and politician. Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria, from 1986 to 1992...
.
After the national election in 2002, the Greens entered into preliminary negotiations about a possible coalition government with the conservative ÖVP. During negotiations, party leadership was accused of internally black-mailing skeptical members. Negotiations between the two parties were subsequently called off, after the results with the ÖVP were not sufficient. The Green youth organisation Grünalternative Jugend (Green Alternative Youth or GAJ) briefly occupied the rooms of the Green parliamentary club in the Austrian parliament building in protest.
In 2003 three Green federal counsellors formed their own club in the Upper House Federal Council
Federal Council of Austria
The Federal Council of Austria or Bundesrat is the second chamber of the Austrian parliament, representing the nine States of Austria on federal level. As part of a bicameral legislature alongside of the National Council of Austria , it can be compared with an upper house or a senate...
(Bundesrat) of Parliament.
After the 2006 elections the Greens gained 4 seats and ended up with 21 seats and became the 3rd largest party in Parliament however did not have enough mandates to form a coalition government with either the ÖVP or SPÖ and became the largest opposition party while the SPÖ and ÖVP formed a coalition government.
Chairpersons since 1986
The chart below shows a timeline of the Green chairpersons and the Chancellors of AustriaChancellor of Austria
The Federal Chancellor is the head of government in Austria. Its deputy is the Vice-Chancellor. Before 1918, the equivalent office was the Minister-President of Austria. The Federal Chancellor is considered to be the most powerful political position in Austrian politics.-Appointment:The...
. The left green bar shows all the chairpersons (Bundessprecher, abbreviated as "CP") of the Green party, and the right bar shows the corresponding make-up of the Austrian government at that time. The red (SPÖ
SPO
- Technology :SPO: Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Cloud Computing, Office 365. See Microsoft Online Services-Economics:* Secondary Public Offering, an equity capital market instrument...
) and black (ÖVP
OVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...
) colours correspond to which party led the federal government (Bundesregierung, abbreviated as "Govern."). The last names of the respective chancellors are shown, the Roman numeral stands for the cabinets
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
.
Parliamentary election results
! colspan="4"| Results of the Grüne in National Council
National Council of Austria
The National Council is one of the two houses of the Austrian parliament. According to the constitution, the National Council and the complementary Federal Council are peers...
elections
|-
! align="center" | Year
! align="center" | Percentage of votes received
! align="center" | Mandates out of total of 183 seats
! align="center" | Further information
|-
| align="center" | 2008
Austrian legislative election, 2008
A legislative snap election for the National Council in Austria was held on 28 September 2008. The previous election was held on 1 October 2006. The election was caused by the withdrawal of Austrian People's Party leader Wilhelm Molterer from the governing grand coalition on 7 July 2008...
| align="center" | 10.4% (-0.6)
| align="center" | 20 (-1)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 2006
Austrian legislative election, 2006
The 2006 general election for the National Council in Austria was held on 1 October 2006.Following the Austrian legislative election, 1999, the Austrian People's Party had formed a coalition government with the Austrian Freedom Party , and later the Alliance for the Future of Austria .As a result...
| align="center" | 11.0% (+1.5)
| align="center" | 21 (+4)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 2002
| align="center" | 9.5% (+2.1)
| align="center" | 17 (+3)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 1999
| align="center" | 7.4% (+2.6)
| align="center" | 14 (+5)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 1995
| align="center" | 4.8% (-2.5)
| align="center" | 9 (-4)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 1994
| align="center" | 7.3% (+2.5)
| align="center" | 13 (+3)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 1990
| align="center" | 4.8% (0)
| align="center" | 10 (+2)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 1986
| align="center" | 4.8% (+1.4)
| align="center" | 8 (+8)
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 1983
| align="center" | 3.4% (+3.4)
| align="center" | 0 (0)
| align="center" |
|}>
State level
The Green party also entered the parliaments or assemblies (LandtagLandtag
A Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...
) of Austrian states
States of Austria
Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states, known in German as Länder . Since Land is also the German word for a country, the term Bundesländer is often used instead to avoid ambiguity. The Constitution of Austria uses both terms...
and communal governments. Following is an analysis of the party on the state
States of Austria
Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states, known in German as Länder . Since Land is also the German word for a country, the term Bundesländer is often used instead to avoid ambiguity. The Constitution of Austria uses both terms...
(Länder) level:
BurgenlandBurgenlandBurgenland is the easternmost and least populous state or Land of Austria. It consists of two Statutarstädte and seven districts with in total 171 municipalities. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east...
The Burgenland Greens were able to take their seats in the Landtag (state assembly) for the first time in 2000. The party received 5.49% of the tally, which meant two mandates. In the state elections in 2005 these two seats were reaffirmed with 5.21% received of all votes cast. CarinthiaCarinthia (state)Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
In the southernmost state of Carinthia, different Green parties ran state elections: the KEL/AL in 1984, Anderes Kärnten in 1989 and 1994, and Demokratie 99 in 1999. These parties were however never able to enter the Landtag (state assembly) since the Carinthian voting system requires a party to win a direct mandate in one of the four regional election districts, which means effectively a 10%-thresholdElection threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
in order to enter.
Only in 2004 were the Carinthian Greens finally able to take their seats in the state assembly, where they are represented by the cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
player Rolf Holub and Barbara Lesjak. On a regional level, for example in the state capital Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
, the Carinthian Greens have already played a political role for a longer time. In the Klagenfurt city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
the Greens are represented by Andrea Wulz, Matthias Koechl, Angelika Hoedl and Reinhold Gasper. Since the local election in 2003 the Klagenfurt Greens were able to take one of nine seats in the proportional city-government, Andrea Wulz is the town councillor for issues relating to women, family matters and social housing projects.
Lower AustriaLower AustriaLower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
In 1998 the Lower Austrian Greens were represented with two delegates in the state assembly. In the state elections in 2003 the Greens received 7.22% and thus won four mandates, which meant they had official club status in the assembly. With Madeleine PetrovicMadeleine Petrovic
Madeleine Petrovic is an Austrian politician. From 1994 to 1996 she was federal spokesperson of the Austrian Green Party....
the Lower Austrian Greens have a former federal spokeswoman and one of the most outspoken animal activists of Austria as their leader (Klubobfrau). In 2005 the Lower Austrian Greens managed to win and take their seats in 100 municipal assemblies and as of 2005 had four vice-mayors. Their managing director in Lower Austria is Mr. Thomas Huber
SalzburgSalzburg (state)Salzburg is a state or Land of Austria with an area of 7,156 km2, located adjacent to the German border. It is also known as Salzburgerland, to distinguish it from its capital city, also named Salzburg...
After the state elections in 1989 the Salzburg Greens had two mandates in the Salzburg state assembly, in 1994 three and in 1999 again two. Under the leadership of Cyriak Schwaighofer the Greens performed under their expectations in the 2004 state elections and could not achieve the desired club status of at least three mandates. As voter-current analyses showed, the small increases in votes were largely due to former voters of the Liberal ForumLiberal Forum
The Liberal Forum is a small classical liberal party in Austria. The party is currently led by Angelika Mlinar, and is a member of the Liberal International and the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party.-Founding:...
(LiF), which did not run in the Salzburg elections. In March 2009 they were down from 8% to 7.3%, keeping their 2 seats in the Parliament of Salzburgerland.
The Bürgerliste (Citizen List) is the common platform of the Greens of the city of Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
. Like many other autonomous municipal groups it carries its own name.
Styria
In 2005, the Styrian Greens had three delegates sitting in the state assembly, Chairlady (Klubobfrau) Ingrid Lechner Sonnek, Edith Zitz and Peter Hagenauer. There are two independent Greens parties: on the one hand the state party, on the other hand there is the Die Grünen - Alternative Liste Graz party for the state capital GrazGraz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
. In the Graz city-council the Greens are represented by Sigi Binder, Lisa Rücker, Hermann Candussi and Christina Jahn.
Styria has the largest Austrian Green youth organization in Austria, called Grüne Jugend Steiermark (Green Youth Styria). Beside the Green Youth Styria there also exists Austria's first Green student's organization, the ECO Students.
Tyrol
In TyrolTyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
the Greens (official name: Die Grünen – die Grüne Alternative Tirol) were able to win seats and placed in 1994 Eva Lichtenberger
Eva Lichtenberger
Dr Eva Lichtenberger is an Austrian politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Austrian Green Party, part of the European Greens.Lichtenberger attended the Academy of Education in Innsbruck from 1972 to 1974...
as Austria's first Green state councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
in a local government, responsible for environmental affairs.
The 2003 Tyrolean Landtag
Landtag
A Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...
(state assembly) elections were the best ever for the Austrian Greens, winning 15.59% of all votes cast. In the capital city of Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
the Greens reached approximately 27% of the vote. The Tyrolean election result also meant that the Greens could for the first time in history nominate a member to the Upper House of Parliament. Since 2003 the Green delegate to the Federal Council
Federal Council of Austria
The Federal Council of Austria or Bundesrat is the second chamber of the Austrian parliament, representing the nine States of Austria on federal level. As part of a bicameral legislature alongside of the National Council of Austria , it can be compared with an upper house or a senate...
(Bundesrat) of Parliament is Eva Konrad, former chairlady of the Austrian National Union of Students (Österreichische HochschülerInnenschaft http://oeh.ac.at/oeh/dieoeh/English) of the University of Innsbruck.
The communal elections of 2004 brought a doubling of the mandates for the Tyrolean Greens. City elections in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
in 2006 were a success for the Greens and they now have 8 of the 40 seats in the parliament of Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
.
In the elections to the European parliament the Tyrolean Greens obtained 17.32%, their best result until then. Eva Lichtenberger subsequently changed her position to become a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
(MEP). The results in Innsbruck were particularly good: there the Green party received 28.28%, which made it the strongest party, even before the Christian-democratic ÖVP
OVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...
and the social-democratic SPÖ
SPO
- Technology :SPO: Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Cloud Computing, Office 365. See Microsoft Online Services-Economics:* Secondary Public Offering, an equity capital market instrument...
. The Greens were able to score on a number of issues that they have been fighting for years. Besides the social topics above all the problems of transit traffic over the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
was important.
The Tyrolean Greens have experts on traffic issues with MEP Eva Lichtenberger, the national speaker and club chairman (Klubobmann) Georg Willi and the speaker of group of regional of Innsbruck Gerhard Fritz. The issue of transit traffic through the Tyrol is of great importance, because the state is troubled by the massive transit traffic between Germany and Italy over the Brenner Pass
Brenner Pass
- Roadways :The motorway E45 leading from Innsbruck via Bolzano to Verona and Modena uses this pass, and is one of the most important north-south connections in Europe...
. Since the Tyrol sits right in between Germany and Italy, the bulk of the commercial traffic passes through there. This heavy-duty traffic has devastating effects on the fragile alpine environment and decreases the quality of life for the inhabitants. Since the entry to the European Union, Austria had to give up any quota limitations on how much international traffic coming from EU-countries is allowed to pass through its territory.
The Tyrolean Greens accused to federal government of not having pushed for a better deal with the European Union concerning transit-traffic and in effect abandoning the concerns of the citizens. They also heavily criticised the government's failure to negotiate a follow-up of the 1994 transit-treaty signed with the EU. Apart from the Greens, various anti-transit civic movements have formed to protest against the environmental damages caused by the traffic.
Sitting in the National Council is Kurt Grünewald, a Tyrolean member of parliament, as well as the former leader of the Greens Alexander Van der Bellen
Alexander Van der Bellen
Alexander Van der Bellen is an Austrian economist and politician, chairman of the parliamentary club and federal spokesperson of the Austrian Green Party from 1997 to 2008....
, who has Tyrolean roots (he spent a part of his youth there and went to high school in Innsbruck).
The results of the Tyrolean Landtag elections:
! colspan="3"| Results of the Greens in Tyrolean State Assembly elections
|-
! align="center" | Year
! align="center" | Percentage of votes received
! align="center" | Mandates out of total of 36 seats
|-
| align="center" | 2003
| align="center" | 15.59% (+7.57)
| align="center" | 5 (+2)
|-
| align="center" | 1999
| align="center" | 8.02% (-2.66)
| align="center" | 3 (-1)
|-
| align="center" | 1994
| align="center" | 10.68% (+2.42)
| align="center" | 4 (+1)
|-
| align="center" | 1989
| align="center" | 8.26% (+5.34)
| align="center" | 3 (+3)
|-
| align="center" | 1984
| align="center" | 2.92%
| align="center" | 0
|}>
2003 delegates: Sepp Brugger, Maria Scheiber, Uschi Schwarzl, Elisabeth Wiesmüller und Georg Willi (club chairman);
1999 delegates: Maria Scheiber, Elisabeth Wiesmüller, Georg Willi (club chairman);
1994 delegates: Bernhard Ernst, Franz Klug, Max Schneider und Georg Willi (club chairman [Klubobmann]);
1989 delegates: Eva Lichtenberger, Jutta Seethaler, Franz Klug).
Upper AustriaUpper AustriaUpper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
In 1997 the Upper Austrian Greens successfully entered the Upper Austrian Landtag (state assembly) for the first time. After the state elections in 2003 (state elections in Upper Austria are held every six years, not five like in the other states), the Greens were able to win even further seats. The campaign was already aimed at gaining ministerial seats in the state government. Since the conservative Christian-democratic ÖVP was the strongest party, this would have meant for the Greens to enter into a coalition government with them (the so-called "Schwarz-Grün" [Black-Green] coalition, named after the party-colours). This new political constellation was quite controversial amongst party members on both sides. In the Green party, the leader Rudi Anschober was able to convince party members and after some dealing became state councillor for environmental affairs. The Greens of the state capital of LinzLinz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
under the leadership of city councillor Jürgen Himmelbauer were most against this black-green project.
On the national level, the Upper Austrian Greens were able to nominate and send to the parliamentary Upper House Federal Council
Federal Council of Austria
The Federal Council of Austria or Bundesrat is the second chamber of the Austrian parliament, representing the nine States of Austria on federal level. As part of a bicameral legislature alongside of the National Council of Austria , it can be compared with an upper house or a senate...
(Bundesrat) councillor Ruperta Lichtenecker.
VorarlbergVorarlbergVorarlberg is the westernmost federal-state of Austria. Although it is the second smallest in terms of area and population , it borders three countries: Germany , Switzerland and Liechtenstein...
The Vorarlberg Greens were the first to ever win mandates in an Austrian state assembly election. Already in 1984 they were able to win 13% of the votes in the Vorarlberg state assembly elections, which for that time was an absolute sensation. The charismatic alpine farmer Kaspanaze Simma from BregenzerwaldBregenzerwald
Bregenzerwald is one of the main regions in the state of Vorarlberg, Austria. Geologically, the Bregenzerwald is a mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps, specifically the northern flysch zone. It is the drainage basin of the Bregenzer Ach river....
was the leading candidate, it was mainly due to his efforts why the party was so instantly successful. Because of their strength, the Greens were allowed to form their own parliamentary fraction (Klub), which caused some logistical problems as the newly constructed Landtag building in 1981 only provided space for the traditional three parties (ÖVP, SPÖ, FPÖ), not four. Since the traditional organic farming
Organic farming
Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...
sector is important in the western Austrian regions, the Greens were able to gain support.
In the following years the Greens were able to consolidate their position by gaining seats on the communal and municipal level. Occasionally they lost their official club status in the state assembly, when they fared poorly from 1999 to 2004. In 2006 the speaker of the Vorarlberg Greens was Johannes Rauch.
The results of the Vorarlberg Landtag elections:
! colspan="3"| Results of the Greens in the Vorarlberg State Assembly elections
|-
! align="center" | Year
! align="center" | Percentage of votes received
! align="center" | Mandates out of total of 36 seats
|-
| align="center" | 2004
| align="center" | 10,2% (+4.17)
| align="center" | 4 (+2)
|-
| align="center" | 1999
| align="center" | 6,03% (-1.73)
| align="center" | 2 (-1)
|-
| align="center" | 1994
| align="center" | 7,76% (+2.58)
| align="center" | 3 (+1)
|-
| align="center" | 1989
| align="center" | 5,18% (-7.82)
| align="center" | 2 (-2)
|-
| align="center" | 19841
| align="center" | 13,00%
| align="center" | 4
|}>
1 Combined result of ALÖ
Alo
Alo or ALO can refer to:* Afghanistan Liberation Organization* Ahwaz Liberation Organisation * Air liaison officer* Alloa railway station in Clackmannanshire, Scotland* Alo , also known as Tu`a...
and VGÖ
Vgo
Vgo, or Ugo, for "Hughes", was a stonemason active in Provence during the twelfth century. He left his signature on several Romanesque religious edifices in Provence and mainly in Tricastin:* Vaison Cathedral* Notre Dame d'Aubune* St Blaise de Bauzon...
ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
The Viennese Greens started candidating in the Vienna Gemeinderat (municipal council or state assembly) in 1983 and were able to enter in 1991. Over the years they have been able to continually gather support. A lot of support has been coming from former Liberal ForumLiberal Forum
The Liberal Forum is a small classical liberal party in Austria. The party is currently led by Angelika Mlinar, and is a member of the Liberal International and the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party.-Founding:...
voters, after the liberals failed to enter any legislature. The traditional strongholds in Vienna for the Greens are the districts of Neubau
Neubau
Neubau is the seventh district of Vienna . It is located near the center of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850, but borders changed later...
(2005: 43.26%), Josefstadt
Josefstadt
Josefstadt is the eighth district of Vienna . It is near the center of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850, but borders changed later. Josefstadt is a heavily populated urban area with many workers and residential homes.It has a population of 22,057 people...
(32.26%), Alsergrund
Alsergrund
Alsergrund is the ninth district of Vienna, Austria . It is located just north of the first, central district, Innere Stadt. Alsergrund was incorporated in 1862, with seven suburbs. The area is densely populated, with a lot of government-built housing. According to the census of 2001, there were...
(29.43%), Mariahilf
Mariahilf
Mariahilf is the 6th municipal district of Vienna, Austria . It is near the center of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850. Mariahilf is a heavily populated urban area with many residential buildings....
(28.97%) and Wieden
Wieden
Wieden is the 4th municipal District of Vienna, Austria . It is near the center of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850, but borders changed later...
(25.14%).
In the 2001 Gemeinderat elections, the Greens were able to win the majority of a district for the first time. In the district of Neubau
Neubau
Neubau is the seventh district of Vienna . It is located near the center of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850, but borders changed later...
they won 32.55% and were able to nominate the Bezirksvorsteher (mayor of the district). The results of 2001 also allowed the Viennese Greens to nominate Stefan Schennach as federal councilor to the Upper House of Parliament (Bundesrat
Federal Council of Austria
The Federal Council of Austria or Bundesrat is the second chamber of the Austrian parliament, representing the nine States of Austria on federal level. As part of a bicameral legislature alongside of the National Council of Austria , it can be compared with an upper house or a senate...
). But despite the strong gains, the Greens were not able to enter into a coalition government with the SPÖ
SPO
- Technology :SPO: Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Cloud Computing, Office 365. See Microsoft Online Services-Economics:* Secondary Public Offering, an equity capital market instrument...
, since the social-democrats were able to win an absolute majority.
The European Parliament election, 2004
European Parliament election, 2004
Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom...
were the best for the Viennese Greens so far. From the total tally, they received 22%, which put them ahead of the Christian-democratic ÖVP
OVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...
and placed them on second position behind the SPÖ (37.7%). In Neubau the Greens received 41%. They were also able to win first place in the districts of Wieden, Mariahilf, Josefstadt and Alsergrund.
In the 2005 Gemeinderat elections, the Greens were able to win votes, but missed their target of becoming the second most powerful party and ended up on fourth place, right behind the right-wing FPÖ
FPO
FPO may refer to:*Fleet Post Office, a "city" designation in military mail *Field post office, a term for military post offices in military mail systems *For position only, a designation for placeholder graphics...
. Because of the different weighing by districts, the Greens received 14 mandates, one more than the FPÖ. They were also able to place another city-councillor. In the districts, the party was able to consolidate their holding on Neubau, as well as win the majority of votes in Josefstadt. With that, the Greens were able to nominate a second Green district-mayor. The second place was won in the districts of Leopoldstadt
Leopoldstadt
Leopoldstadt is the 2nd municipal District of Vienna . There are inhabitants over . It is situated in the heart of the city and, together with Brigittenau , forms a large island surrounded by the Danube Canal and, to the north, the Danube. It is named after Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor...
, Margareten
Margareten
Margareten is the fifth district of Vienna . It is near the center of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850, but borders changed later. Margareten is a heavily populated urban area with many workers and residential homes.- Description :...
, Mariahilf, Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus
Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus
Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus is the 15th municipal District of Vienna, Austria . It is in central Vienna, west of Innere Stadt....
and Alsergrund
Alsergrund
Alsergrund is the ninth district of Vienna, Austria . It is located just north of the first, central district, Innere Stadt. Alsergrund was incorporated in 1862, with seven suburbs. The area is densely populated, with a lot of government-built housing. According to the census of 2001, there were...
.
The Green delegates to the Viennese Gemeinderat or Landtag as of 2006 were: Maria Vassilakou (club-chairlady [Klubobfrau]), Waltraut Antonov, Heidi Cammerlander, Christoph Chorherr
Christoph Chorherr
Christoph Chorherr is an Austrian politician. From 1996 until December 1997 he was federal spokesperson of the Austrian Green Party....
, Sabine Gretner, Susanne Jerusalem, Alev Korun
Alev Korun
Alev Korun is a Turkish-Austrian politician. Korun is the first Turkish congresswoman in the Austrian Parliament .-External links:* auf den Seiten der Wiener Grünen...
, Rüdiger Maresch, Martin Margulies
Martin Margulies
Martin Margulies is a world renowned art collector and author. One of the most prominent contemporary art and photography collectors. Margulies' collection has an estimated worth of $800 Million dollars. Recently publishing a book called "Martin Margulies Art Collection"...
, Sigrid Pilz, Ingrid Puller, Marie Ringler, Marco Schreuder, Claudia Sommer-Smolik. The two city-councillors are David Ellensohn and Monika Vana.
The results of the Viennese Gemeinderat elections:
! colspan="4"| Results of the Greens in the Viennese State Assembly elections
|-
! align="center" | Year
! align="center" | Percentage of votes received
! align="center" | Mandates out of total of 100 seats
! align="center" | Further information
|-
| align="center" | 2005
| align="center" | 14,63% (+2.18)
| align="center" | 14 (+3)
| align="center" | 1 Federal Councillor
Federal Council of Austria
The Federal Council of Austria or Bundesrat is the second chamber of the Austrian parliament, representing the nine States of Austria on federal level. As part of a bicameral legislature alongside of the National Council of Austria , it can be compared with an upper house or a senate...
, 2 City Councillors
|-
| align="center" | 2001
| align="center" | 12,45% (+4.51)
| align="center" | 11 (+4)
| align="center" | 1 Federal Councillor, 1 City Councillor
|-
| align="center" | 1996
| align="center" | 7,94% (-1.14)
| align="center" | 7 (±0)
| align="center" | 1 City Councillor
|-
| align="center" | 1991
| align="center" | 9,08% (+4.68)
| align="center" | 7 (+7)
| align="center" | 1 City Councillor
|-
| align="center" | 1987
| align="center" | 4,4% (+1.9)
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 19831
| align="center" | 2,5% (+2.5)
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" |
|}>
1 ran as Alternative Liste Wien (ALW)
Organisation
In 2004 the Greens had about 3,000 members nation-wide, although at present there are no uniform regulations for membership. Apart from the members, the Greens rely on a large number of volunteers. The party used to function on the principles of basis democracy (Basisdemokratie) and rotation principle (Rotationsprinzip), but this was stopped in the course of the time. The last basic-democratic element is the Urabstimmung, which is a vote on any issue that can be initiated with the petition of at least 100 members. As of 2003 however, no such vote has taken place.The highest body is the Bundeskongress (Federal Congress), which convenes at least once a year. All state organisations send delegates, also the immigrants-organisation is allowed to send delegates as "the tenth Austrian state
States of Austria
Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states, known in German as Länder . Since Land is also the German word for a country, the term Bundesländer is often used instead to avoid ambiguity. The Constitution of Austria uses both terms...
". The Federal Congress decides the electoral lists for the National Council
National Council of Austria
The National Council is one of the two houses of the Austrian parliament. According to the constitution, the National Council and the complementary Federal Council are peers...
elections or elections to the European parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. The congress also elects the federal spokesperson (BundesprecherIn). The congress also decides the party program and sets the party guidelines.
The Bundesvorstand (Federal Board of Trustees) has in the last few years developed itself into the actual decision-making centre. It meets at least once a week, mostly on Tuesdays, and determines the guidelines of the daily politics. The board also has decides over the party finances.
The extended federal board of trustees (Erweiterter Bundesvorstand) consists of a smaller number of delegates from each state and meets at least once a month. It takes care of the implementation of the party-guidelines, which were set by the party congress. It also chooses the representatives of the party spokesperson.
The state organisations (Landesorganisationen) are for their most part organised similarly: There are state meetings, which sometimes convene as a members meeting or a delegates meeting. Similar to the Federal Board of Trustees, there are the State Board of Trustees (Landesvorstände). The party charter also allows for each state group to hold a vote on basic issues as well that affect the whole party.
Independently in the National Council
National Council of Austria
The National Council is one of the two houses of the Austrian parliament. According to the constitution, the National Council and the complementary Federal Council are peers...
there also exists a Green National Council Club (faction), which can independently specify its guidelines. In the last years however an increasing fusion of the work between party and its club was noticeable. Michaela Sburny, successor of Franz Raft since June 2004 as federal executive manager of the Greens, was allowed to keep her National Council mandate. This means she is allowed to hold two offices at the same time, something that was frowned upon by the Greens previously.
There are different Green or Greenish organisations within the party and associated with it. These include:
- The Grünen Andersrum is the gayGayGay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
-, lesbianLesbianLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
and transgenderTransgenderTransgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
organisation, which is organised differently from state to state, and exists in all states except Vorarlberg and Burgenland. In Vienna, the Grünen Andersrum are a part of the party itself. - The Grünen SeniorInnen (DGS) is the organisation for senior citizenSenior citizenSenior citizen is a common polite designation for an elderly person in both UK and US English, and it implies or means that the person is retired. This in turn implies or in fact means that the person is over the retirement age, which varies according to country. Synonyms include pensioner in UK...
s. It was founded on March 9, 2001 in Vienna. The DGS fights for a policy more friendly to senior citizens and their right to lead an active, fulfilling and self-determined life. - The Initiative Grüne MigrantInnen (IGM) is the Green group for immigrants in Austria. Their demands are a facilitation of integrationRacial integrationRacial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
into life in Austria, equal rightsCivil rightsCivil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
and equal opportunitiesEqual opportunityEqual opportunity, or equality of opportunity, is a controversial political concept; and an important informal decision-making standard without a precise definition involving fair choices within the public sphere...
, fight against racismRacismRacism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and other issues concerning migrants. - The Grüne und Alternative Studierende (GRAS) is a separate party which candidates in the elections for the Austrian National Union of StudentsAustrian National Union of StudentsThe Austrian Students' Association by statutory body is the general students' representative body in Austria and serves as the students' government by federal law...
(Österreichische HochschülerInnenschaft – ÖH). There they are the biggest faction, together with the Socialist Students of AustriaSocialist Students of AustriaThe Socialist Students of Austria is a socialist and social democratic student organization at Austrian universities.- History :The preliminary organization of the VSStÖ was formed in 1893 in Vienna. In the beginning, it was more a student debate club that was sympathetic to young workers and the...
(Verband Sozialistischer StudentInnen Österreichs – VSStÖ) they form the executive committee of the Austrian National Union for Students. - The Grünalternative Jugend (GAJ) is the youth organisation of the Green party. The GAJ existed since the 1990s. It is a member of the Federation of Young European GreensFederation of Young European GreensThe Federation of Young European Greens is a federation of Green youth organisations from all over Europe . It is the official youth wing of the European Green Party European political party...
(FYEG). The GAJ sees itself rather as extreme left. The organisation is subdivided into smaller groups for each state. - The Grüne Frauenorganisation is the organisation for women. As of 2005, it does not exist yet in every state. http://frauen.wien.gruene.at/
- ECO Students is a Green student's organisation, which currently only exists in Styria.
- The Grüne Wirtschaft is the Green economic organisation and runs in the elections for the Economic Parliament of the Austrian Federal Economic ChamberAustrian Federal Economic ChamberThe Austrian Federal Economic Chamber coordinates and represents the interests of the Austrian business community on a national and international level...
(Wirtschaftskammer Österreich – WKÖ). - The Alternative und Unabhängige GewerkschafterInnen (AUGE/UG) is the Green labour union. It runs in the elections for the labour parliament of the Austrian Labour Chamber (Arbeiterkammer – AK).
The education and training of new Green politicians is done by the Grüne Bildungswerkstatt (http://www.gbw.at/), which is an independent voluntary association
Voluntary association
A voluntary association or union is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement as volunteers to form a body to accomplish a purpose.Strictly speaking, in many jurisdictions no formalities are necessary to start an association...
. The Grüne Bildungswerkstatt is financed by the republic, as regulated by Austrian law for the equal treatment of all parliamentary parties.
Prominent members
Among the most notable founding members and mentors are or were Professor Alexander TollmannAlexander Tollmann
Dr. Alexander Tollmann was an Austrian professor of geology.He was born in Vienna. He has been professor at the Geologischen Institut of the University of Vienna since 1969...
, the painter Friedensreich Hundertwasser
Friedensreich Hundertwasser
Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser was an Austrian painter and architect. Born Friedrich Stowasser in Vienna, he became one of the best-known contemporary Austrian artists, although controversial, by the end of the 20th century.-Life:Hundertwasser's father Ernst Stowasser died three...
, the late actor Herbert Fux
Herbert Fux
Herbert Fux was an Austrian film actor. He appeared in over 140 films between 1960 and 2007.He was born in Hallein, Austria and he died with the help of the Swiss euthanasia group Dignitas in Zürich, Switzerland....
, the mayor of Steyregg
Steyregg
Steyregg is a municipality in the district of Urfahr-Umgebung in Upper Austria, Austria.-History:The town was once part of the territory owned by the Liechtenstein Family as a fiefdom, 'Lord of Steyregg' was one of the family's titles.-References:...
Josef Buchner
Josef Buchner
Josef Buchner is an Austrian politician with the The Greens – The Green Alternative and the current mayor of Steyregg. He was previously leader of the Vereinte Grüne Österreichs which merged with the Alternative Liste Österreichs in 1986 to form the current party.-References:...
(the first Green mayor in Austria – in 1987 excluded from the Green parliamentary club), Freda Meissner-Blau
Freda Meissner-Blau
Freda Meissner-Blau is an Austrian politician, activist, and prominent figurehead in the Austrian environmental movement. She was a founder and the federal spokesperson of the Austrian Green Party.-Early life:...
and Günther Nenning
Günther Nenning
DDr. Günther Nenning was a famous Austrian journalist, author and political activist.Günther Nenning was born in Vienna, Austria. After an excellent performance in high school, Nenning served from 1940 to 1945 in the German Wehrmacht...
, with Nobel prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
laureate Konrad Lorenz
Konrad Lorenz
Konrad Zacharias Lorenz was an Austrian zoologist, ethologist, and ornithologist. He shared the 1973 Nobel Prize with Nikolaas Tinbergen and Karl von Frisch...
supporting the 1984 protests at Hainburg.
Today, Green politicians include (in alphabetical order)
- Rudolf Anschober (State councillor of Upper Austria)
- Thomas Blimlinger (Mayor of the Viennese district Neubau)
- Dieter Brosz (MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(Member of the lower house National Council), spokesman for education) - Christoph ChorherrChristoph ChorherrChristoph Chorherr is an Austrian politician. From 1996 until December 1997 he was federal spokesperson of the Austrian Green Party....
(Member of the state assembly of Vienna) - Eva Glawischnig-PiesczekEva GlawischnigEva Glawischnig-Piesczek is an Austrian politician of the Austrian Green Party and its federal spokeswoman....
(MP, federal spokeswoman) - Ulrike LunacekUlrike LunacekUlrike Lunacek is an Austrian politician. She used to be a Member of Parliament of the National Council of Austria, and since 2009 is a Member of the European Parliament for Austria....
(MP, spokeswoman for foreign policy) - Karl Oellinger (MP, deputy federal speaker)
- Madeleine PetrovicMadeleine PetrovicMadeleine Petrovic is an Austrian politician. From 1994 to 1996 she was federal spokesperson of the Austrian Green Party....
(Club chairlady of the Lower Austrian Greens) - Peter PilzPeter PilzPeter Pilz is an Austrian politician and a leading member of the Austrian Green Party.Born in Kapfenberg, Styria, Pilz has been a member of the Austrian Parliament between 1986 and 1991 and since 1999...
(MP, spokesman for defence) - Johannes Rauch, (Club chairman and state speaker for Vorarlberg)
- Marie Ringler, (Member of the Viennese state assembly, spokeswoman for culture and technology)
- Michaela Sburny (MP, Spokeswoman for the economy, Federal Executive Manager of the party)
- Therezija Stoisits (Ombudswoman, former MP and spokeswoman for minorities)
- Ingrid Lechner Sonnek (Club chairlady of the Styrian Greens)
- Alexander Van der BellenAlexander Van der BellenAlexander Van der Bellen is an Austrian economist and politician, chairman of the parliamentary club and federal spokesperson of the Austrian Green Party from 1997 to 2008....
(former Federal Speaker, club chairman in the National Council) - Maria Vassilakou (Club chairlady of the Viennese Greens)
- George Willi (Club chairman and state speaker for the Tyrol)
Members of the European Parliament
- Mercedes EchererMercedes EchererRaina A. Mercedes Echerer is an Austrian film and stage actress, host of TV and radio shows, and politician.From 1999 to 2004 she was Member of the European Parliament for the Austrian Green Party, part of the European Greens, although she was not member of the party...
(MEPMember of the European ParliamentA Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
from 1999–2004) - Eva LichtenbergerEva LichtenbergerDr Eva Lichtenberger is an Austrian politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Austrian Green Party, part of the European Greens.Lichtenberger attended the Academy of Education in Innsbruck from 1972 to 1974...
(MEP since 2004, member of the Austrian national convention) - Johannes VoggenhuberJohannes VoggenhuberJohannes Voggenhuber is an Austrian politician and former Member of the European Parliament for the Austrian Green Party, which is part of the European Greens. He is vice president of the parliament's Constitutional Affairs Commission.From 1982 to 1987, he was member of the city council in...
(MEP from 1995–2009, Member of the European ConventionEuropean ConventionThe Convention on the Future of Europe , was a body established by the European Council in December 2001 as a result of the Laeken Declaration...
, member of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European UnionCharter of Fundamental Rights of the European UnionThe Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union enshrines certain political, social, and economic rights for European Union citizens and residents, into EU law. It was drafted by the European Convention and solemnly proclaimed on 7 December 2000 by the European Parliament, the Council of...
) - Ulrike LunacekUlrike LunacekUlrike Lunacek is an Austrian politician. She used to be a Member of Parliament of the National Council of Austria, and since 2009 is a Member of the European Parliament for Austria....
(MEP since 2009)
See also
- Green party
- Green politicsGreen politicsGreen politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...
- List of environmental organizations
- Anti-nuclear movement in AustriaAnti-nuclear movement in AustriaConstruction of the first Austrian nuclear power plant in Zwentendorf on the Danube, about 20 miles upstream from the capital, Vienna, began in 1972. Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant was designed as a boiling water reactor with a capacity of 700 MW, that was expected to generate about 10% of the...
External links
- Die Grünen - official website (in German)
- Austrian Greens in the European Parliament
- Die Grünen Austria at European Greens
- The Green Parties Country Studies - Austria