Austrian Parliament

Austrian Parliament Österreichisches Parlament
Type
Type	Bicameral
Houses	National Council Federal Council
Leadership
President of the National Council	Doris Bures, SPÖ Since 2 September 2014
President of the Federal Council	Josef Saller, ÖVP Since 1 January 2016
Structure
Seats	244 183 (National Council) 61 (Federal Council)
National Council political groups	6 Groups      SPÖ (52)      ÖVP (47)      FPÖ (40)      Greens (24)      Stronach (11)      NEOS (9)
Federal Council political groups	4 Groups      ÖVP (23)      SPÖ (20)      FPÖ (12)      Greens (4)      Non-attached (Stronach (1), Free Party Salzburg (1))
Elections
National Council voting system	Proportional representation
Federal Council voting system	Appointment by State Landtage
National Council last election	29 September 2013
Meeting place
Parliament Building Vienna, Austria
Website
Official Website

244

The Austrian Parliament (German: Österreichisches Parlament) is the bicameral legislature in Austria. It consists of two chambers: the National Council (Nationalrat) and the Federal Council (Bundesrat). In specific cases, both houses convene as the Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung). The legislature meets in the Austrian Parliament Building in Vienna.

(joint session of both houses)

The National Council is composed of 183 members elected through proportional representation in a general election. The legislative period lasts five years, elections are held earlier if the National Council prematurely moves for its own dissolution. The National Council is the dominant (albeit 'lower') house in the Austrian Parliament, and consequently the terms Parliament and National Council are commonly used synonymously.

The Federal Council is elected indirectly, through the provincial assemblies (Landtage) of the nine States of the Federal Republic, and reflects the distribution of seats in the Austrian Landtage. The states are represented in the Federal Council roughly in accordance to the size of their populations. Seats are redistributed among the states following each general census, and the overall size of the chamber varies slightly as a result. The current Federal Council is composed of 61 delegates. With regard to most issues, the Federal Council only possesses a dilatory right of veto which can be overridden by the National Council. However, the Federal Council enjoys absolute veto powers over bills intended to alter the powers of either the states, or of the Federal Council itself.