Austria is a parliamentary republic, founded on democratic principles and the separation of powers. The highest state representative is the Federal President, whose term of office lasts for 6 years. The two parliamentary chambers are the National Council (lower house) and the Federal Council (upper house) and these are the legislative bodies. The Federal Chancellor is the head of the Federal Government.
Constitutional Basis
The Federal Constitution, the State Treaty, the Declaration of Neutrality and the EU Accession Agreement form the constitutional basis of the Republic. Austria has been a member of the European Union since 1st January 1995.
National Council
Five parties are currently represented in the National Council: The three ruling parties are the Austrian People's Party, the Austrian Social Democratic Party and the NEOS (The New Austria and Liberal Forum). The other parliamentary parties are the Austrian Freedom Party and "Die Grünen" (The Greens).
Distribution of Mandates
| FPÖ (Austrian Freedom Party) | 57 Mandates |
| ÖVP (Austrian People's Party) | 51 Mandates |
| SPÖ (Social Democratic Party of Austria) | 41 Mandates |
| NEOS (The New Austria and Liberal Forum) | 18 Mandates |
| Die Grünen (The Greens) | 16 Mandates |
Austria is currently ruled by a coalition of the Austrian People's Party, the Social Democratic Party of Austria and NEOS (NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum). In line with the constitution, the next general election is due in 2029.
Federal Provinces
Austria is a federation made up of nine federal provinces. The federal capital city, Vienna, is also one of the nine federal provinces in its own right. Each of the nine provinces is led by a provincial government, headed by a Governor.
| Federal Province | Capital Cities of the Provinces |
| Vienna | Vienna |
| Styria | Graz |
| Upper Austria | Linz |
| Salzburg | Salzburg |
| Tyrol | Innsbruck |
| Carinthia | Klagenfurt |
| Lower Austria | St. Pölten |
| Vorarlberg | Bregenz |
| Burgenland (in German) | Eisenstadt |