List of political parties in Austria
Encyclopedia
This article lists political parties in Austria. Austria
has a multi-party system
. Of the over 700 registered political parties
, only few are known to the larger public. Since the 1980s, four parties have consistently received enough votes to get seats in the national parliament.
, including The Freedomites in Carinthia, which cooperates with the national Freedom Party of Austria
.
Five of the parties in the National Council (all but the Alliance for the Future of Austria
) are also represented in the Federal Council
, as is the Tyrol
-based Citizens' Forum Austria.
Five of the six parties in the National Council (all but The Freedomites in Carinthia) are represented in the European Parliament
, as is the anti-corruption Hans-Peter Martin's List
.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
has a multi-party system
Multi-party system
A multi-party system is a system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition, e.g.The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the United Kingdom formed in 2010. The effective number of parties in a multi-party system is normally...
. Of the over 700 registered political parties
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
, only few are known to the larger public. Since the 1980s, four parties have consistently received enough votes to get seats in the national parliament.
Parties represented in Parliament or the European Parliament
There are six parties represented in the 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...
, including The Freedomites in Carinthia, which cooperates with the national Freedom Party of Austria
Freedom Party of Austria
The Freedom Party of Austria is a political party in Austria. Ideologically, the party is a direct descendant of the German national liberal camp, which dates back to the 1848 revolutions. The FPÖ itself was founded in 1956 as the successor to the short-lived Federation of Independents , which had...
.
Five of the parties in the National Council (all but the Alliance for the Future of Austria
Alliance for the Future of Austria
The Alliance for the Future of Austria , abbreviated to BZÖ, is a conservative liberal political party in Austria. The party has sixteen seats in the National Council....
) are also represented in 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...
, as is the Tyrol
Tyrol (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...
-based Citizens' Forum Austria.
Five of the six parties in the National Council (all but The Freedomites in Carinthia) are represented in 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...
, as is the anti-corruption Hans-Peter Martin's List
Hans-Peter Martin's List
The Hans-Peter Martin's List – For genuine control in Brussels is an Austrian anti-corruption and pro-transparency political party. It currently has 3 seats in the European Parliament....
.
| Name | Abbr. | Ideology | Leader | NR 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... |
BR 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... |
MEPs Members of the European Parliament for Austria 2009–2014 This is a list of Members of the European Parliament for Austriain the 7th term from 2009 to 2014, ordered by name:*Martin Ehrenhauser, Hans-Peter Martin's List, *Karin Kadenbach, Social Democratic Party of Austria,... |
Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party of Austria Social Democratic Party of Austria The Social Democratic Party of Austria is one of the oldest political parties in Austria. The SPÖ is one of the two major parties in Austria, and has ties to trade unions and the Austrian Chamber of Labour. The SPÖ is among the few mainstream European social-democratic parties that have preserved... Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs |
SPÖ | Centre-left Centre-left Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum... , social democracy Social democracy Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism... |
Werner Faymann Werner Faymann Werner Faymann is Chancellor of Austria and chairman of the Social Democratic Party SPÖ .-Background and earlier career:Born in Vienna, Austria, he studied law at the University of Vienna for two years but did not graduate.... |
57 | 22 | 5 | ||
| Austrian People's Party Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Austria. A successor to the Christian Social Party of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is similar to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany in terms of ideology... Österreichische Volkspartei |
ÖVP | Centre-right Centre-right The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist... , Christian democracy Christian Democracy Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching... |
Josef Pröll Josef Pröll Josef Pröll is a former Austrian politician and was the chairman of the Austrian People's Party from 2008 until 2011. He served as Vice Chancellor and Minister of Finance.... |
51 | 27 | 6 | ||
| Freedom Party of Austria Freedom Party of Austria The Freedom Party of Austria is a political party in Austria. Ideologically, the party is a direct descendant of the German national liberal camp, which dates back to the 1848 revolutions. The FPÖ itself was founded in 1956 as the successor to the short-lived Federation of Independents , which had... Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs |
FPÖ | Right-wing populism Right-wing populism Right-wing populism is a political ideology that rejects existing political consensus and combines laissez-faire liberalism and anti-elitism. It is considered "right-wing" because of its rejection of social equality and government programs to achieve it, its opposition to social integration, and... , national conservatism National conservatism National conservatism is a political term used primarily in Europe to describe a variant of conservatism which concentrates more on national interests than standard conservatism as well as upholding cultural and ethnic identity, while not being outspokenly nationalist or supporting a far-right... |
Heinz-Christian Strache Heinz-Christian Strache Heinz-Christian Strache is an Austrian politician, member of parliament, former member of the Vienna city council and political leader of the Freedom Party of Austria . He is a right-wing politician and an efficient populist... |
34 | 7 | 2 | ||
| The Freedomites in Carinthia Die Freiheitlichen in Kärnten |
FPK | Right-wing populism Right-wing populism Right-wing populism is a political ideology that rejects existing political consensus and combines laissez-faire liberalism and anti-elitism. It is considered "right-wing" because of its rejection of social equality and government programs to achieve it, its opposition to social integration, and... , national conservatism National conservatism National conservatism is a political term used primarily in Europe to describe a variant of conservatism which concentrates more on national interests than standard conservatism as well as upholding cultural and ethnic identity, while not being outspokenly nationalist or supporting a far-right... , Carinthian Carinthia (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... regionalism |
Uwe Scheuch | 3 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Alliance for the Future of Austria Alliance for the Future of Austria The Alliance for the Future of Austria , abbreviated to BZÖ, is a conservative liberal political party in Austria. The party has sixteen seats in the National Council.... Bündnis Zukunft Österreich |
BZÖ | Centre-right Centre-right The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist... , conservative liberalism Conservative liberalism Conservative liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal values and policies with conservative stances, or, more simply, representing the right-wing of the liberal movement.... |
Josef Bucher Josef Bucher Josef Bucher is an Austrian politician and is the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Austria . He is also a Member of Parliament for the party... |
17 | 0 | 1 | ||
| The Greens – The Green Alternative Die Grünen – Die Grüne Alternative |
GRÜNE | Centre-left Centre-left Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum... , green politics Green politics Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy... , social progressivism |
Eva Glawischnig Eva Glawischnig Eva Glawischnig-Piesczek is an Austrian politician of the Austrian Green Party and its federal spokeswoman.... |
20 | 3 | 2 | ||
| Centrism Centrism In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between... , Tyrolean Tyrol (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... regionalism | Fritz Dinkhauser | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Hans-Peter Martin's List Hans-Peter Martin's List The Hans-Peter Martin's List – For genuine control in Brussels is an Austrian anti-corruption and pro-transparency political party. It currently has 3 seats in the European Parliament.... Liste Hans-Peter Martin | HPM | Anti-corruption politics Political corruption Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by... , Pro Transparency |
Hans-Peter Martin Hans-Peter Martin Hans-Peter Martin is an Austrian journalist and politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament since 1999.Born in Bregenz, Vorarlberg, Martin worked for the German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel... |
0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Common FPÖ/FPK faction in the Nationalrat; FPK runs only in Carinthia Carinthia (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... , FPÖ elsewhere. |
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Parties represented in state parliaments
- Communist Party of AustriaCommunist Party of AustriaThe Communist Party of Austria is a communist party based in Austria. Established in 1918, it was banned between 1933 and 1945 under both the Austrofascist regime, and German control of Austria during World War II...
(Kommunistische Partei Österreichs) (KPÖ) - List Burgenland (Liste Burgenland) (LBL)
Minor parties
- Animal Rights PartyAnimal Rights PartyThe Animal Rights Party is an animal welfare political party in Austria. It is led by Ralph Chaloupek. It contested the Lower Austrian state election . It also contested the 2008 national election, but only in Vienna.-External links:*...
(Tierrechtspartei) (TRP) - Black-Yellow AllianceBlack-Yellow AllianceThe Black-Yellow Alliance is a monarchist movement in Austria founded on 6 August 2004. This movement is heavily influenced by the ideas of Otto von Habsburg...
(Schwarz-Gelbe Allianz) (SGA) - Christian Electoral CommunityChristian Electoral CommunityChristian Electoral Community is a Christian ultra-conservative political grouping in Austria. The CWG was formed on December 8, 1989 in Mariazell, by voters who thought the conservative ÖVP was too leftist...
(Christliche Wählergemeinschaft) (CWG) - Christian Party of Austria (Christliche Partei Österreichs) (CPÖ)
- Communist InitiativeCommunist Initiative (Austria)The Communist Initiative is an orthodox Marxist-Leninist organisation in Austria. It was founded in 2004 as a faction of the Communist Party of Austria . It left the party in 2005. It was a candidate in the parliamentary elections in 2008 as a part of the alliance "The Left"...
(Kommunistische Initiative) (KI) - Enotna ListaEnotna ListaThe Unity List or EL seeks to represent the autochthonous Slovene minority in Carinthia. It came into existence in 1991, replacing the "Club of Slovenian Local Councillors" , which had existed as an initiative of local Slovenian party lists from various local councils...
(Unity List) (EL) - LeftLeft (Austria)The Electoral Leftist Alliance or Left is a movement of Marxist-Leninist, Maoist and Trotskyist organisations in Austria which was founded by the Communist Initiative, the Socialist Left Party, the League of the Socialist Revolution and other left-wing movements and activists in the run-up to...
(Linke) (LINKE) - Liberal ForumLiberal ForumThe 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:...
(Liberales Forum) (LiF) - Neutral Free AustriaNeutral Free AustriaThe Neutral Free Austria Federation is a political party in Austria founded on 17 March 2003. It contested the 2006 legislative election under the name "EU Withdrawal – Neutral Free Austria" , but only appeared on the ballot in Vorarlberg, Tyrol, Carinthia, Salzburg and Vienna and failed to pass...
(Neutrales Freies Österreich) (NFÖ) - Pirate Party of AustriaPirate Party of AustriaThe Pirate Party of Austria is the Austrian section of the Pirate Parties International movement which fights for freedom of information and the protection of privacy....
(Piratenpartei Österreichs) (PPÖ) - Save AustriaSave AustriaIndependent Citizens' Initiative Save Austria or Save Austria is an anti-EU movement in Austria which was founded by former presidential candidate and pro-neutrality activist Karl Walter Nowak to fight against the European Constitution and the Treaty of Lisbon. In the Austrian legislative...
(Rettet Österreich) (RETTÖ) - Socialist Left PartySocialist Left Party (Austria)The Socialist Left Party is a Trotskyist political party in Austria. It is a member of the Committee for a Workers' International. The party originated in the 1980's, when the forerunner "Sozialistische Offensive Vorwärts" emerged from the far-left wing of the Socialist Youth of Austria...
(Sozialistische LinksPartei) (SLP) - The Social Liberals (Die Sozialliberalen) (SoL)
- Young Liberals AustriaYoung Liberals (Austria)Young Liberals Austria is a liberal Austrian party that was founded as the youth wing of the Liberal Forum .However, in 2009 JuLis contested the European Parliameent election with their own, separate list, directly competing with their former mother party LIF. They were supported by LIF's then MEP...
(Junge Liberale Österreich) (JuLis)
Major historical parties
- Christian Social Party (Christlichsoziale Partei) (CS) (1893-1933)
- Country League (Landbund) (1918-1934)
- Fatherland's Front (Vaterländische Front) (VF) (1933-1938)
- Federation of IndependentsFederation of IndependentsThe Federation of Independents was a German national and national-liberal political party in Austria active from 1949 to 1955...
(Verband der Unabhängigen) (VdU) (1949-1955) - Greater German People's PartyGreater German People's PartyThe Greater German People's Party was a German nationalist and national liberal party during the First Republic of Austria.-Foundation:...
(Großdeutsche Volkspartei) (GDVP) (1918-1938) - National Socialist German Workers PartyNational Socialist German Workers PartyThe National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
(Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) (Nazi Party) (1919-1945) - Social Democratic Workers Party of AustriaSocial Democratic Party of AustriaThe Social Democratic Party of Austria is one of the oldest political parties in Austria. The SPÖ is one of the two major parties in Austria, and has ties to trade unions and the Austrian Chamber of Labour. The SPÖ is among the few mainstream European social-democratic parties that have preserved...
(Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs) (SDAPÖ) (1888-1934), predecessor of today's SPÖ
Minor historical parties
- Communist League of Austria (Kommunistischer Bund Österreichs) (KBÖ) (1976-1980)
- League of Democratic SocialistsLeague of Democratic SocialistsThe League of Democratic Socialists is an Austrian political party formerly affiliated with the World Socialist Movement, though unlike most other WSM parties, it did not start as an offshoot of the Socialist Party of Great Britain.BDS contested the 1959 legislative election, getting 2 190 votes...
(Bund Demokratischer Sozialisten) (BDS) - Marxist-Leninist Party of AustriaMarxist-Leninist Party of AustriaThe Marxist-Leninist Party of Austria was founded in 1967 by members and activists of Marxists-Leninists of Austria . The central organ Rote Fahne was founded in 1963 by Franz Strobl the later chairman of MLPÖ....
(Marxistisch-Leninistische Partei Österreichs) (MLPÖ) - The Democrats (Die Demokraten)
- The IndependentsThe Independents (Austria)The Independents – Lugner's List were a minor political party in Austria, founded by businessman Richard Lugner to contest the 1998 presidential election, were he got 9.9% of the vote...
(Die Unabhängigen) (DU) - Union of Revolutionary Workers of Austria (Marxist-Leninist) (Vereinigung Revolutionärer Arbeiter Österreichs (Marxisten-Leninisten)) (VRAÖ)
See also
- Politics of AustriaPolitics of AustriaThe Politics of Austria take place in a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, with a Federal Chancellor as the head of government, and a Federal President as head of state. Executive power is exercised by the governments, both local and federal...
- List of political parties by country
- History of AustriaHistory of AustriaThe history of Austria covers the history of the current country of Austria and predecessor states, from the Iron Age, through to a sovereign state, annexation by the German Third Reich, partition after the Second World War and later developments until the present day...
- Liberalism in AustriaLiberalism in AustriaThis article gives an overview of liberalism in Austria. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme...