The
Federal Assembly is the name given to a formal
joint sessionA joint session or joint convention is, most broadly, when two normally-separate decision-making groups meet together, often in a special session or other extraordinary meeting, for a specific purpose....
of the two houses of the
AustriaAustria , 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...
n
federalA federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
parliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
, the
National CouncilThe 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...
and the
Federal CouncilThe Federal Council of Austria or Bundesrat is the second chamber of the Austrian parliament, representing the nine States of Austria on federal level. As part of a bicameral legislature alongside of the National Council of Austria , it can be compared with an upper house or a senate...
.
The presidents of the two parliamentary chambers take turns presiding over sessions of the Federal Assembly.
Role of the Federal Assembly
The Federal Assembly does not function as a legislative body; the two chambers enact legislation, and even amend the
ConstitutionThe Constitution of Austria is the body of all constitutional law of the Republic of Austria on the federal level. It is split up over many different acts...
, as strictly separate entities.
The principal responsibility of the Federal Assembly is to convene for the ceremonial swearing-in of the
President of AustriaThe President of Austria is the federal head of state of Austria. Though theoretically entrusted with great power by the constitution, in practice the President acts, for the most part, merely as a ceremonial figurehead...
.
In theory, the Federal Assembly also functions as an instrument of checks and balances; upon request by a two-thirds majority of the National Council, the Federal Assembly may
impeachImpeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
the president before the Constitutional Court, or call for a
referendumA referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
to have the president removed from office by the electorate. Neither of these powers, however, has so far been exercised. The assent of the Federal Assembly would also be required for the president's immunity against
criminalCriminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
prosecution to be withdrawn.
The Federal Assembly is also responsible for
declaring warA declaration of war is a formal act by which one nation goes to war against another. The declaration is a performative speech act by an authorized party of a national government in order to create a state of war between two or more states.The legality of who is competent to declare war varies...
.
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