Austrian legislative election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The 2006 general election for the National Council
in Austria
was held on 1 October 2006.
Following the Austrian legislative election, 1999
, the Austrian People's Party
(ÖVP) had formed a coalition government with the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), and later the Alliance for the Future of Austria
(BZÖ).
As a result of the 2006 election, the ÖVP-BZÖ coalition lost their majority in parliament. After three months of negotiations, it was announced on January 8th that the SPÖ and ÖVP would form a grand coalition
, with SPÖ leader Alfred Gusenbauer
becoming the next Chancellor.
contested the election with Chancellor
Wolfgang Schüssel
as its leader. It was the first federal election in Austria since 1970
the party entered as strongest party. Slogans used by the party in the campaign were "Secure. Austria" (Sicher. Österreich), "Austria. Here, we are well." (Österreich. Hier geht's uns gut.) and "Austria. Stays better." (Österreich. Bleibt besser.) They also attacked the Social Democratic Party
, attesting them a lack of economic competence, repeatedly bringing up the so-called "BAWAG
-Affair".
The ÖVP cited a rising number of academics and shorter study periods, according to them because of the introduction of tuition fees, as some of their successes. They also capitalized on their women’s policies, including being the first Austrian cabinet with half the ministers being women and appointing a woman as president of the Supreme Court for the first time.
in the election campaign. Themes of their campaign included a rising in youth unemployment, criticism of the Schüssel government's
pension reform as well as the order of Eurofighter Typhoon
fighters which they wanted to cancel in the case of them entering government. They also criticized the abolishment of the Ministry for Women and promised to abolish tuition fees for universities.
After coming in first in opinion polls for a long time, from March 2006 onwards the Austrian People's Party was ahead of them. The main reason for this was believed to be the "BAWAG-Affair": the Bank for Work and Economy (Bank für Arbeit und Wirtschaft), in which the Social Democratic dominated Austrian Trade Union Federation
held a majority, was hurled into turbulences, leading to disputes in the party.
On 3 September 2006 the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Forum
formed an electoral alliance
with the goal to prevent a further ÖVP-led government.
campaigned with party leader Heinz-Christian Strache
as their leading candidate.
Media considered the initiative "Stay free Austria" (Volksbegehren "Österreich bleib frei") as start of their campaign. Some points of their party programme they highlighted were: No accession of Turkey to the European Union
and rejection of the European Constitution
, no rising of Austria's contributions to the European Union, aggravation of citizenship laws, stopping immigration and fighting abuse of asylum.
.
The Greens started their pre-election campaign in May 2006 with the presentation of two "Black Books". The "Black Book black" concentrated on their criticism of the People's Party government, the "Black Book red" criticized the opposition performance of the Social Democratic Party. The Greens accused both parties of violations of human rights, with their main criticism being the 2005 reform of the asylum and foreigner's rights laws, to which the Social Democratic Party had agreed.
Central to their campaign were promotion of alternative energy, improving the situation of working women, introduction of a demand orientated basic social security (Grundsicherung), an education reform and introduction of a point-system for immigration, favouring highly qualified immigrants.
They stated abolishment of tuition fees for universities and cancelling the order for Eurofighter as conditions for entering a government.
entered the campaign with Peter Westenthaler
, former floor leader of the Freedom Party, as its leading candidate.
Peter Westenthaler was elected as party leader on a special party summit on 23 June 2006. The party contested the election as "The Freedom-minded – Westenthaler's List – BZÖ" (Die Freiheitlichen – Liste Westenthaler – BZÖ). After the Freedom Party obtained a preliminary injunction
, the BZÖ had to remove the phrase "The Freedom-minded" from its billboards – it remained on ballot papers nonetheless.
The party presented an election programme with the title "10 points against a shift to the left in Austria". Policies included: lowering of number of foreigners by 30%, limits for the share of non-native German speakers in classes and termination of the European Union's accession talks with Turkey.
On 25 September, six days before the election, Minister of Justice Karin Gastinger
, deputy leader of the BZÖ and the party's leading candidate in Styria announced her leaving the party. As reason for her decision she stated that she "doesn’t want to be active in a political movement that is xenophobic, that operates with fear".
was Mirko Messner. Hoping for a basic mandate in the constituency Graz, the Communist Party made heavy use of the Styrian politician Ernest Kaltenegger, who managed to secure one of the best election results in the history of the party when gaining 20% of the votes in the municipal elections in Graz. Points of their election campaign included a tax for the rich as well as higher minimal pensions and wages.
, MEP
, announced in July 2006 that he intended to run with his own party
. He concentrated on criticizing the established parties and trying to attract protest votes. Due to a limit on party’s short names on ballot papers to five letters the party ran as MATIN.
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...
in Austria
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...
was held on 1 October 2006.
Following the Austrian legislative election, 1999
Austrian legislative election, 1999
Parliamentary elections were held in Austria on 3 October 1999. Although the Social Democratic Party remained the largest party in the National Council, a coalition government was formed by the Freedom Party of Austria and the Austrian People's Party after several months of negotiations...
, the 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...
(ÖVP) had formed a coalition government with the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), and later 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....
(BZÖ).
As a result of the 2006 election, the ÖVP-BZÖ coalition lost their majority in parliament. After three months of negotiations, it was announced on January 8th that the SPÖ and ÖVP would form a grand coalition
Grand coalition
A grand coalition is an arrangement in a multi-party parliamentary system in which the two largest political parties of opposing political ideologies unite in a coalition government...
, with SPÖ leader Alfred Gusenbauer
Alfred Gusenbauer
Alfred Gusenbauer is an Austrian career politician who until 2008 spent his entire professional life as an employee of the Social Democratic Party of Austria or as a parliamentary representative. He headed the SPÖ from 2000 to 2008, and served as Chancellor of Austria from January 2007 to...
becoming the next Chancellor.
Austrian People's Party
The Austrian People's PartyAustrian 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...
contested the election with Chancellor
Chancellor of Austria
The Federal Chancellor is the head of government in Austria. Its deputy is the Vice-Chancellor. Before 1918, the equivalent office was the Minister-President of Austria. The Federal Chancellor is considered to be the most powerful political position in Austrian politics.-Appointment:The...
Wolfgang Schüssel
Wolfgang Schüssel
Wolfgang Schüssel is an Austrian People's Party politician. He was Chancellor of Austria for two consecutive terms from February 2000 to January 2007...
as its leader. It was the first federal election in Austria since 1970
Austrian legislative election, 1970
Parliamentary elections were held in Austria on 1 March 1970. The result was a victory for the Social Democratic Party, which won 81 of the 165 seats and was able to form a minority government that was tolerated by the Freedom Party of Austria in return for electoral reform that favoured smaller...
the party entered as strongest party. Slogans used by the party in the campaign were "Secure. Austria" (Sicher. Österreich), "Austria. Here, we are well." (Österreich. Hier geht's uns gut.) and "Austria. Stays better." (Österreich. Bleibt besser.) They also attacked the Social Democratic Party
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...
, attesting them a lack of economic competence, repeatedly bringing up the so-called "BAWAG
BAWAG
BAWAG is a bank in Austria. On October 1, 2005, it merged with the separate Österreichische Postsparkasse to form the "Bank für Arbeit und Wirtschaft und Österreichische Postsparkasse AG", shortened as BAWAG P.S.K..-History:BAWAG was founded in 1922 by the Austrian Chancellor Dr...
-Affair".
The ÖVP cited a rising number of academics and shorter study periods, according to them because of the introduction of tuition fees, as some of their successes. They also capitalized on their women’s policies, including being the first Austrian cabinet with half the ministers being women and appointing a woman as president of the Supreme Court for the first time.
Social Democratic Party of Austria
The Social Democratic Party was led by Alfred GusenbauerAlfred Gusenbauer
Alfred Gusenbauer is an Austrian career politician who until 2008 spent his entire professional life as an employee of the Social Democratic Party of Austria or as a parliamentary representative. He headed the SPÖ from 2000 to 2008, and served as Chancellor of Austria from January 2007 to...
in the election campaign. Themes of their campaign included a rising in youth unemployment, criticism of the Schüssel government's
Second Schüssel cabinet
The second government of Wolfgang Schüssel was sworn in on February 28, 2003 and was replaced on 11 January 2007....
pension reform as well as the order of Eurofighter Typhoon
Eurofighter Typhoon
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies: EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems; working through a holding company, Eurofighter GmbH, which was formed in 1986...
fighters which they wanted to cancel in the case of them entering government. They also criticized the abolishment of the Ministry for Women and promised to abolish tuition fees for universities.
After coming in first in opinion polls for a long time, from March 2006 onwards the Austrian People's Party was ahead of them. The main reason for this was believed to be the "BAWAG-Affair": the Bank for Work and Economy (Bank für Arbeit und Wirtschaft), in which the Social Democratic dominated Austrian Trade Union Federation
Austrian Trade Union Federation
-External links:*...
held a majority, was hurled into turbulences, leading to disputes in the party.
On 3 September 2006 the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Forum
Liberal Forum
The 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:...
formed an electoral alliance
Electoral alliance
An electoral alliance may take the form of a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc. It is an association of political parties or individuals which exists solely to stand in elections...
with the goal to prevent a further ÖVP-led government.
Freedom Party of Austria
The Freedom Party of AustriaFreedom 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...
campaigned with party leader 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...
as their leading candidate.
Media considered the initiative "Stay free Austria" (Volksbegehren "Österreich bleib frei") as start of their campaign. Some points of their party programme they highlighted were: No accession of Turkey to the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and rejection of the European Constitution
Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe , , was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European Union...
, no rising of Austria's contributions to the European Union, aggravation of citizenship laws, stopping immigration and fighting abuse of asylum.
The Greens - The Green Alternative
Leading candidate for the Green Party was party leader Alexander van der BellenAlexander Van der Bellen
Alexander Van der Bellen is an Austrian economist and politician, chairman of the parliamentary club and federal spokesperson of the Austrian Green Party from 1997 to 2008....
.
The Greens started their pre-election campaign in May 2006 with the presentation of two "Black Books". The "Black Book black" concentrated on their criticism of the People's Party government, the "Black Book red" criticized the opposition performance of the Social Democratic Party. The Greens accused both parties of violations of human rights, with their main criticism being the 2005 reform of the asylum and foreigner's rights laws, to which the Social Democratic Party had agreed.
Central to their campaign were promotion of alternative energy, improving the situation of working women, introduction of a demand orientated basic social security (Grundsicherung), an education reform and introduction of a point-system for immigration, favouring highly qualified immigrants.
They stated abolishment of tuition fees for universities and cancelling the order for Eurofighter as conditions for entering a government.
Alliance for the Future of Austria
The BZÖAlliance 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....
entered the campaign with Peter Westenthaler
Peter Westenthaler
Peter Westenthaler is an Austrian politician. He assumed his mother's maiden name Westenthaler instead of his former surname Hojač...
, former floor leader of the Freedom Party, as its leading candidate.
Peter Westenthaler was elected as party leader on a special party summit on 23 June 2006. The party contested the election as "The Freedom-minded – Westenthaler's List – BZÖ" (Die Freiheitlichen – Liste Westenthaler – BZÖ). After the Freedom Party obtained a preliminary injunction
Preliminary injunction
A preliminary injunction, in equity, is an injunction entered by a court prior to a final determination of the merits of a legal case, in order to restrain a party from going forward with a course of conduct or compelling a party to continue with a course of conduct until the case has been decided...
, the BZÖ had to remove the phrase "The Freedom-minded" from its billboards – it remained on ballot papers nonetheless.
The party presented an election programme with the title "10 points against a shift to the left in Austria". Policies included: lowering of number of foreigners by 30%, limits for the share of non-native German speakers in classes and termination of the European Union's accession talks with Turkey.
On 25 September, six days before the election, Minister of Justice Karin Gastinger
Karin Gastinger
Karin Gastinger is an Austrian politician. She was Federal Minister of Justice in the coalition government led by Wolfgang Schüssel which served from June 2004 to January 2007....
, deputy leader of the BZÖ and the party's leading candidate in Styria announced her leaving the party. As reason for her decision she stated that she "doesn’t want to be active in a political movement that is xenophobic, that operates with fear".
Communist Party of Austria
Leading candidate for the Communist Party of AustriaCommunist Party of Austria
The 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...
was Mirko Messner. Hoping for a basic mandate in the constituency Graz, the Communist Party made heavy use of the Styrian politician Ernest Kaltenegger, who managed to secure one of the best election results in the history of the party when gaining 20% of the votes in the municipal elections in Graz. Points of their election campaign included a tax for the rich as well as higher minimal pensions and wages.
Dr. Martin's List – For Democracy, Control, Justice
Hans-Peter MartinHans-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...
, MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
, announced in July 2006 that he intended to run with his own party
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....
. He concentrated on criticizing the established parties and trying to attract protest votes. Due to a limit on party’s short names on ballot papers to five letters the party ran as MATIN.
Other Parties
Five parties managed to secure enough signatures to run in some of the regional constituencies:- EU Withdrawal – Neutral Free Austria in Carinthia, Salzburg, Tyrol, Vorarlberg and Vienna
- Socialist Left Party, List against Capitalism and RacismSocialist 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...
in Vienna - Certainly – Absolutely – Independent, Franz Radinger in Carinthia
- Initiative 2000 in Burgenland
- List Strong in Carinthia
Summary of results
- The ÖVP lost many of the votes they had taken from the FPÖ in the 2002 electionAustrian legislative election, 2002Early parliamentary elections were held in Austria on 24 November 2002, after internal divisions in the Freedom Party of Austria culminating in the Knittelfeld Putsch led to the resignation of several leading FPÖ members. The result was a victory for the ÖVP, which won 79 of the 183 seats, the...
.
- The Social Democratic 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...
(SPÖ) lost fewer votes and thus regained a plurality.
- The Austrian Green PartyAustrian Green PartyThe Greens – The Green Alternative is a political party in the Austrian parliament.The party was formed in 1986 with the name Grüne Alternative, following the merger of the more conservative Green party Vereinte Grüne Österreichs and the more progressive party Alternative Liste Österreichs The...
received more than 11% of the votes and pulled ahead of the Freedom Party.
- The FPÖ increased their share of votes slightly but missed third place by about 500 votes.
- The BZÖ, which had split off from the FPÖ in 2005, crossed the threshold of 4% and will be represented in the new parliament.
- The Austrian Communist Party (KPÖ) increased its share of votes to 1%.
- The list of Hans Peter Martin received 2.8%. Both his list and the KPÖ are below the 4% threshold that is necessary for parliamentary representation.
- The 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:...
decided not to stand in the election, citing the tight schedule as well as the lack of finances and a suitable party leader. However, on 3 September 2006 the SPÖ announced an electoral alliance with the LIF (some of the LIF's candidates will stand on the SPÖ's party list, ensuring that at least the LIF's chairman Alexander ZachAlexander ZachAlexander Zach is an Austrian politician and former member of the Austrian Parliament . He has been the head of the Liberal Forum from 2001 to 2008. Although his party did not run the elections of 2006, Zach was given a seat on the SPÖ as a result of an alliance whose aim was forestalling another...
will be a member of the next parliament).
Maps
Opinion Polls
| Source | Date | ÖVP | SPÖ | FPÖ | Greens | BZÖ | H.-P. Martin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEWS-Market | 27 September 2006 | 38% | 35% | 10% | 10% | 3% | 3% |
| Profil-OGM | 23 September 2006 | 37% | 35% | 10% | 11% | 3% | 3% |
| ÖSTERREICH-Gallup | 22 September 2006 | 38% | 35% | 10% | 10% | 3% | 4% |
| NEWS-Market | 20 September 2006 | 39% | 34% | 9% | 11% | 3% | 3% |
| ÖSTERREICH-Gallup | 19 September 2006 | 38% | 35% | 10% | 11% | 3% | 3% |
| Profil-OGM | 16 September 2006 | 38% | 35% | 10% | 10% | 3% | 3% |
| ÖSTERREICH-Gallup | 12 September 2006 | 39% | 35% | 8% | 10% | 3% | 4% |
| IGF | 11 September 2006 | 39% | 34% | 8% | 11% | 3% | 4% |
| ÖSTERREICH-Gallup | 9 September 2006 | 38% | 35% | 7% | 12% | 3% | 4% |
| Profil-OGM | 9 September 2006 | 38% | 35% | 9% | 10% | 2% | 5% |
| NEWS/Market | 7 September 2006 | 38% | 34% | 8% | 11% | 3% | 5% |
| Kurier/Integral | 3 September 2006 | 37% | 35% | 8% | 11% | 4% | 5% |
| ÖSTERREICH-Gallup | 31 August 2006 | 37% | 35% | 7% | 11% | 4% | 4% |
| NEWS-Market | 30 August 2006 | 39% | 35% | 7% | 11% | 3% | 4% |
| Profil-OGM | 26 August 2006 | 39% | 35% | 7% | 11% | 3% | 4% |
| NEWS/Market | 23 August 2006 | 38% | 36% | 7% | 10% | 4% | 4% |
| NEWS/Market | 16 August 2006 | 40% | 34% | 7% | 11% | 3% | 4% |
| NEWS/Market | 2 August 2006 | 39% | 35% | 6% | 11% | 3% | 5% |
| Kurier/Integral | 16 July 2006 | 39% | 35% | 8% | 12% | 4% | — |
| Profil/OGM | 15 July 2006 | 40% | 36% | 8% | 12% | 3% | — |
| NEWS/Market | 12 July 2006 | 41% | 36% | 5% | 11% | 3% | 3% |