At stake in this election:

• 183 seats in the National Council (Nationalrat)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Thomas KLESTIL
• Head of Government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL
• Assembly: Austria has a bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung) consisting of the Federal Council (Bundesrat) with 64 seats and the National Council (Nationalrat) with 183 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by direct popular vote to serve a 6-year term.
• In the Federal Council (Bundesrat) 62 members are elected by indirect vote to serve 5-year terms*. In the National Council (Nationalrat) 183 members are elected by direct popular vote to serve 4-year terms.

* Members are elected by indirect vote by provincial assemblies in proportion to party representation to serve 5-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Austrian People's Party (OVP)
  • Leader: Wolfgang SCHUESSEL
  • Seats won in this National Council election: 79
  • Seats won in last National Council election: 52
• Party: Austrian Social Democratic Party (SPO)
  • Leader: Alfred GUSENBAUER
  • Seats won in this National Council election: 69
  • Seats won in last National Council election: 65
• Party: Freedom Party of Austria (FPO)
  • Leader: Mathias REICHHOLD
  • Seats won in this National Council election: 18
  • Seats won in last National Council election: 52
• Party: The Greens (Grunen)
  • Leader: Alexander VAN DER BELLEN
  • Seats won in this National Council election: 17
  • Seats won in last National Council election: 14
• Party: Other
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this National Council election: 0
  • Seats won in last National Council election: N/A

Last Parliamentary election:

• Last parliamentary election was held on October 3, 1999.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 8,150,835 (July 2001 est.)
• Registered Voters: 5,912,592 (November 2002 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 4,156,402 (2002)

·         Is Austria a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Austria ratified CEDAW: Yes (31 March 1982)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 49 (National Council) (as of 1995 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 23 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Australia a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Australia ratified CRPD: Yes (26 Septmember 2008)

·         Population with a disability: 1,222,625 (est.)