Constitution: 1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)
Legal system: civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by a Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential
elections
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Thomas KLESTIL (since 8 July 1992); election
last held 24 May 1992 (next to be held 1996); results of second ballot
- Thomas KLESTIL 57%, Rudolf STREICHER 43%
head of government: Chancellor Franz VRANITZKY (since 16 June 1986);
Vice Chancellor Erhard BUSEK (since 2 July 1991)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; chosen by the president on the advice
of the chancellor
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung)
Federal Council (Bundesrat): consists of 63 members representing each
of the provinces on the basis of population, but with each province
having at least 3 representatives
National Council (Nationalrat): elections last held 9 October 1994
(next to be held October 1998); results - SPOE 34.9%, OEVP 27.7%, FPOE
22.5%, Greens 7.3%, LF 6.0% other 1.6%; seats - (183 total) SPOE 65,
OEVP 52, FPOE 42, Greens 13, LF 11
Judicial branch: Supreme Judicial Court (Oberster Gerichtshof) for
civil and criminal cases, Administrative Court
(Verwaltungsgerichtshof) for bureaucratic cases, Constitutional Court
(Verfassungsgerichtshof) for constitutional cases
Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party of Austria
(SPOE), Franz VRANITZKY, chairman; Austrian People's Party (OEVP),
Erhard BUSEK, chairman; Freedom Movement (F) (was the Freedom Party of
Austria, FPOE), Joerg HAIDER, chairman; Communist Party (KPOE), Walter
SILBERMAYER, chairman; The Greens, Madeleine PETROVIC; Liberal Forum
(LF), Heide SCHMIDT
Other political or pressure groups: Federal Chamber of Commerce and
Industry; Austrian Trade Union Federation (primarily Socialist); three
composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party (OEVP) representing
business, labor, and farmers; OEVP-oriented League of Austrian
Industrialists; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay
organization, Catholic Action
Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE,
CEI, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, GATT, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NAM
(guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUSAL, OSCE, PCA, UN,
UNAMIR, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIH,
UNOMIL, UNOMOZ, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Helmut TUERK chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035 telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York