A 1929 amendment to the 1920 constitution introduced the
concept of a popularly elected president. Because of the
suspension of the constitution in 1934, however, the first
popular election of a president did not take place until 1951.
The president serves a six-year term and is limited to two
consecutive terms. Candidates must be at least thirty-five years
of age and eligible to vote in Nationalrat elections.
Political parties nominate presidential candidates, but it is
customary, given the limited powers of the position, for the
president to serve in a nonpartisan manner. To win an election, a
candidate must receive more than 50 percent of the votes. If no
candidate succeeds on the first ballot, a runoff election is held
between the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes.
The president serves as head of state. Presidential duties
include convoking, adjourning, and, in rare cases, dissolving the
Nationalrat. The president signs treaties, verifies that legal
procedures for legislation have been carried out, and grants
reprieves and pardons. Although he cannot veto legislation, the
president is empowered to reject a cabinet proposal or delay
enactment of a bill. Unless the constitution states otherwise,
official acts of the president require the countersignature of
the chancellor or the relevant minister.
The president plays an important, though largely formal, role
in the political process of forming and dissolving governments.
In the aftermath of a parliamentary election, the president
invites the leader of the strongest party in the Nationalrat to
form a government. This duty reflects the fact that both the
government and parliament are responsible to the president in the
sense that he can dismiss individual members of the government,
including the chancellor, as well as dissolve the Nationalrat.
The president, on the recommendation of the chancellor, also
appoints individuals to cabinet positions and other important
government positions, including that of vice chancellor. The
president also can dismiss individual cabinet officials, but only
on the recommendation of the chancellor. During the Second
Republic (that is, since 1945), the president has dissolved the
Nationalrat only twice, in 1971 and 1986, in both cases because
the incumbent chancellor and his party wished to have a new
election.
The president has emergency authority that gives him
significant powers. Should an emergency arise when the
Nationalrat is not in session, the cabinet can request that the
president act on the basis of "provisional law-amending
ordinances," as provided for in the constitution. Such ordinances
require the countersignature of the cabinet. Emergency decrees
must be sent to the Nationalrat. If it is not in session, the
president must convoke a special session. The Nationalrat has
four weeks either to enact a law to replace the decree or to void
the decree.
Two procedures are outlined in the constitution for pressing
charges against the president: one entails a referendum; the
other entails a vote by a joint session of parliament, the
Bundesversammlung (Federal Assembly). To set a referendum in
motion, one-half of the Nationalrat deputies must be present and
vote by a two-thirds majority to ask the chancellor to convoke
the Bundesversammlung, which then must vote by a simple majority
for a referendum. The referendum is carried if a simple majority
of voters vote in favor of it. If the referendum is defeated,
then the president is regarded as reelected, the Nationalrat is
dissolved, and new elections are scheduled. Under no
circumstances, however, shall a president serve more than twelve
years in office.
The second procedure for bringing charges against the
president results from his being responsible to the
Bundesversammlung, which is authorized to vote on his actions.
Either house of parliament can ask the chancellor to convoke the
Bundesversammlung for such a purpose. One-half of the members of
each house must be present, and the Bundesversammlung must cast a
two-thirds vote to press charges against the president.
If the president dies or if the office is vacated for any
other reason, a new election is held. In the interim, the
chancellor carries out necessary presidential duties.
|
Background | | Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. In January 2009, Austria assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2009-10 term.
|
|
Location | | Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
|
|
Area(sq km) | | total: 83,871 sq km
land: 82,445 sq km
water: 1,426 sq km
|
|
Geographic coordinates | | 47 20 N, 13 20 E
|
|
Land boundaries(km) | | total: 2,562 km
border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km, Switzerland 164 km
|
|
Coastline(km) | | 0 km (landlocked)
|
|
Climate | | temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers
|
|
Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m
highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m
|
|
Natural resources | | oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower
|
|
Land use(%) | | arable land: 16.59%
permanent crops: 0.85%
other: 82.56% (2005)
|
|
Irrigated land(sq km) | | 40 sq km (2003)
|
|
Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 84 cu km (2005)
|
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 3.67 cu km/yr (35%/64%/1%)
per capita: 448 cu m/yr (1999)
|
|
Natural hazards | | landslides; avalanches; earthquakes
|
|
Environment - current issues | | some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe
|
|
Environment - international agreements | | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
|
|
Geography - note | | landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere
|
|
Population | | 8,210,281 (July 2009 est.)
|
|
Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 14.5% (male 609,748/female 581,144)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 2,785,091/female 2,756,402)
65 years and over: 18% (male 612,613/female 865,283) (2009 est.)
|
|
Median age(years) | | total: 42.2 years
male: 41.1 years
female: 43.2 years (2009 est.)
|
|
Population growth rate(%) | | 0.052% (2009 est.)
|
|
Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 8.65 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
|
Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 9.98 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
|
|
Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | 1.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
|
Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 67% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
|
|
Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 4.42 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.39 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
|
|
Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 79.5 years
male: 76.6 years
female: 82.56 years (2009 est.)
|
|
Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 1.39 children born/woman (2009 est.)
|
|
Nationality | | noun: Austrian(s)
adjective: Austrian
|
|
Ethnic groups(%) | | Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes, Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified 2.4% (2001 census)
|
|
Religions(%) | | Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)
|
|
Languages(%) | | German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian 2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes Slovene, official in Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 census)
|
|
Country name | | conventional long form: Republic of Austria
conventional short form: Austria
local long form: Republik Oesterreich
local short form: Oesterreich
|
|
Government type | | federal republic
|
|
Capital | | name: Vienna
geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
|
|
Administrative divisions | | 9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)
|
|
Constitution | | 1920; revised 1929; reinstated 1 May 1945; note - during the period 1 May 1934-1 May 1945 there was a fascist (corporative) constitution in place
|
|
Legal system | | civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
|
|
Suffrage | | 16 years of age; universal; note - reduced from 18 years of age in 2007
|
|
Executive branch | | chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) (since 8 July 2004)
head of government: Chancellor Werner FAYMANN (SPOe) (since 2 December 2008); Vice Chancellor Josef PROELL (OeVP) (since 2 December 2008)
cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor
elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2010); chancellor formally chosen by the president but determined by the coalition parties forming a parliamentary majority; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor
election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER 47.6%
note: government coalition - SPOe and OeVP
|
|
Legislative branch | | bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 seats; members chosen by state parliaments with each state receiving 3 to 12 members in proportion to its population; members serve five- or six-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Council - last held 28 September 2008 (next to be held by September 2013)
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 29.3%, OeVP 26%, FPOe 17.5%, BZOe 10.7%, Greens 10.4%, other 6.1%; seats by party - SPOe 57, OeVP 51, FPOe 34, BZOe 21, Greens 20
|
|
Judicial branch | | Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof
|
|
Political pressure groups and leaders | | Austrian Trade Union Federation or OeGB (nominally independent but primarily Social Democratic); Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented Association of Austrian Industrialists or IV; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action
other: three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, farmers, and other nongovernment organizations in the areas of environment and human rights
|
|
International organization participation | | ACCT (observer), ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
|
|
Flag description | | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red; the flag design is certainly one of the oldest - if not the oldest - national banners in the world; according to tradition, following a fierce battle in the Third Crusade, Duke Leopold V of Austria's white tunic became completely blood-spattered; upon removal of his wide belt or sash, a white band was revealed; the red-white-red color combination was subsequently adopted as his banner
|
|
Economy - overview | | Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. Its economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector. Following several years of solid foreign demand for Austrian exports and record employment growth, the global economic downturn in 2008 led to a recession that is likely to persist through 2009. The government's stabilization measures could increase the budget deficit to about 2.8% of GDP in 2009 and above 3% in 2010, from about 0.6% in 2008. The Austrian economy has benefited greatly in the past from strong commercial relations, especially in the banking and insurance sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe, but these sectors have been vulnerable to recent international financial instabilities, and some of Austria's largest banks have required government support. Even after the global economic outlook improves, Austria will need to continue restructuring, emphasizing knowledge-based sectors of the economy, and encouraging greater labor flexibility and greater labor participation to offset its aging population and exceedingly low fertility rate.
|
|
GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $331.2 billion (2008 est.)
$324.7 billion (2007 est.)
$313.7 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
|
|
GDP (official exchange rate) | | $414.8 billion (2008 est.)
|
|
GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 2% (2008 est.)
3.5% (2007 est.)
3.5% (2006 est.)
|
|
GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $40,400 (2008 est.)
$39,600 (2007 est.)
$38,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
|
|
GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 1.9%
industry: 30.7%
services: 67.4% (2008 est.)
|
|
Labor force | | 3.633 million (2008 est.)
|
|
Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 5.5%
industry: 27.5%
services: 67% (2005 est.)
|
|
Unemployment rate(%) | | 3.9% (2008 est.)
4.4% (2007 est.)
|
|
Population below poverty line(%) | | 5.9% (2004)
|
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 22.5% (2004)
|
|
Distribution of family income - Gini index | | 26 (2007)
31 (1995)
|
|
Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 22.4% of GDP (2008 est.)
|
|
Budget | | revenues: $196.4 billion
expenditures: $200.7 billion (2008 est.)
|
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 3.2% (2008 est.)
2.2% (2007 est.)
|
|
Stock of domestic credit | | $606.2 billion (31 December 2008)
$504.8 billion (31 December 2007)
|
|
Market value of publicly traded shares | | $NA (31 December 2008)
$228.7 billion (31 December 2007)
$191.3 billion (31 December 2006)
|
|
Public debt(% of GDP) | | 62.6% of GDP (2008 est.)
64.2% of GDP (2004 est.)
|
|
Agriculture - products | | grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber
|
|
Industries | | construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism
|
|
Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 2.4% (2008 est.)
|
|
Current account balance | | $14.27 billion (2008 est.)
$12.03 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
Exports | | $179.1 billion (2008 est.)
$162.1 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
Exports - commodities(%) | | machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs
|
|
Exports - partners(%) | | Germany 29.5%, Italy 8.6%, US 4.3%, Switzerland 4.2% (2008)
|
|
Imports | | $179.2 billion (2008 est.)
$160.3 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
Imports - commodities(%) | | machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs
|
|
Imports - partners(%) | | Germany 44.5%, Italy 7.1%, Switzerland 5.2%, Netherlands 4.1% (2008)
|
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $16.7 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$18.22 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
|
|
Debt - external | | $832.8 billion (31 December 2008)
$801.4 billion (31 December 2007)
|
|
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | | $261.9 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$247.9 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
|
|
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | | $270 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$240.9 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
|
|
Exchange rates | | euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
|
|
Currency (code) | | euro (EUR)
|
|
Telephones - main lines in use | | 3.285 million (2008)
|
|
Telephones - mobile cellular | | 10.816 million (2008)
|
|
Telephone system | | general assessment: highly developed and efficient
domestic: fixed-line subscribership has been in decline since the mid-1990s with mobile-cellular subscribership eclipsing it by the late 1990s; the fiber-optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available
international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; in addition, there are about 600 VSATs (very small aperture terminals) (2007)
|
|
Internet country code | | .at
|
|
Internet users | | 5.937 million (2008)
|
|
Airports | | 55 (2009)
|
|
Pipelines(km) | | gas 2,721 km; oil 663 km; refined products 157 km (2008)
|
|
Roadways(km) | | total: 107,262 km
paved: 107,262 km (includes 1,677 km of expressways) (2006)
|
|
Ports and terminals | | Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna
|
|
Military branches | | Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK)
|
|
Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 18-35 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for male or female voluntary service; service obligation 6 months of training, followed by an 8-year reserve obligation; conscripts cannot be deployed in military operations outside Austria (2009)
|
|
Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 1,986,411
females age 16-49: 1,944,834 (2008 est.)
|
|
Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 1,607,456
females age 16-49: 1,576,335 (2009 est.)
|
|
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 50,540
female: 48,042 (2009 est.)
|
|
Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
|
|
Disputes - international | | while threats of international legal action never materialized in 2007, 915,220 Austrians, with the support of the newly elected Freedom Party, signed a petition in January 2008, demanding that Austria block the Czech Republic's accession to the EU unless Prague closed its nuclear power plant in Temelin, bordering Austria
|
|
Electricity - production(kWh) | | 58.64 billion kWh (2007 est.)
|
|
Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 29.3%
hydro: 67.2%
nuclear: 0%
other: 3.5% (2001)
|
|
Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 61.89 billion kWh (2007 est.)
|
|
Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 14.93 billion kWh (2008 est.)
|
|
Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 19.8 billion kWh (2008 est.)
|
|
Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 24,850 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
|
Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 285,400 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
|
Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 45,580 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
|
Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 305,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
|
Economic aid - donor | | ODA, $1.498 billion (2006)
|
|
Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 50 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 1.532 billion cu m (2008 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 8.65 billion cu m (2008 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 2.788 billion cu m (2008)
|
|
Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 16.14 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 0.2% (2007 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | 9,800 (2007 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths | | fewer than 100 (2003 est.)
|
|
Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: NA
female: NA
|
|
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 15 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2006)
|
|
Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 5.4% of GDP (2005)
|
