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EXPLAINED: How does Austria’s presidential election work?

This year Austrians will vote in the Federal Presidential election, but how does the process work, and who could be the next President?

Published: 18 January 2022 14:20 CET
Updated: 23 May 2022 09:16 CEST
Austria's President Alexander Van der Bellen
The election of the Federal President will take place in Austria in October. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP)

The federal presidential election will take place in autumn 2022 as Alexander Van der Bellen (who represents the Green Party) reaches the end of his six-year term as president. 

In May, Van der Bellen announced he will stand for a second term and he is tipped as a strong contender.

In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming election and what could happen later this year.

What does the Austrian President actually do?

The Federal President is the chief diplomat in Austria – essentially the head of state of the Austrian Republic.

The president is responsible for protecting democracy in Austria, providing moral support to the country and assisting in the integration of minorities into the political process, as well as swearing in and dismissing parliament. 

To become the president of Austria, candidates should have an extensive political background and have a non-partisan (unbiased) approach to politics. 

In some ways, Austria’s president is compared to the role of the Queen in the UK and any political power is often viewed as symbolic. For example, the president is not expected to intervene in the daily running of government, but can make an appeal in certain situations.

Austria’s current president, Van der Bellen, was inaugurated into the role on January 26th 2017 after winning the election in autumn 2016. Van der Bellen is a member of the Green Party and a former member of the Vienna State Parliament and Vienna City Council.

He has had more to do than the average president due to the frequent changes of government, having signed 152 swearing-in documents including appointing new chancellors, vice chancellors, ministers and state secretaries

What is the presidential electoral process in Austria?

Austrian citizens (aged 16 and over) vote in presidential elections every six years and Austria’s Federal President is eligible for two elected terms.

A presidential candidate must be an Austrian citizen, be eligible to vote in the National Assembly and be at least 35 years old on election day. 

Members of ruling dynasties or from families that have reigned in the past are not eligible to run in the presidential election. This is to avoid a return to monarchy in Austria via the role of Federal President.

FOR MEMBERS: What’s in Austria’s vaccine mandate bill?

To become a candidate for the role of President, names must be submitted to the federal electoral authority at least 30 days before the election date, along with a fee of €3,600. Each nomination has to be signed by 6,000 eligible voters.

Following the vote, the elected Federal President is sworn in with an oath in front of the Federal Assembly. The oath states that the president will “faithfully observe the Constitution and all the laws of the Republic”.

Who could be the next President in Austria?

Some political figures have already spoken out in favour of Van der Bellen running for a second term, such as President of the Austrian National Council Wolfgang Sobotka (of the governing conservative People’s Party, ÖVP) and centre-left SPÖ leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner.

READ MORE: Who is Karl Nehammer, Austria’s new Chancellor?

There is some support within the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) that van der Bellen should be cleared for re-election without an opposing candidate, to offer the country some stability

However, Governor of Burgenland Hans-Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) has said the announcement of an opposition candidate would send a strong message to the Austrian population that the country is a “self-confident social democracy”.

And Van der Bellen himself hasn’t said whether he even wants to put himself forward for another term.

Additionally, there are rumours that Norbert Hofer, former leader of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), could run for Federal President again (he was defeated by Van der Bellen in 2016). Hofer recently told Die Presse that if he does decide to become a candidate he will make the announcement nearer the time of the autumn election.

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MIGRANT CRISIS

How a change in the profile of asylum seekers is impacting Austria

The number of asylum applications has dropped in Austria, but changes in the profile of those arriving are creating new demands and new policies.

Published: 22 April 2024 16:05 CEST
How a change in the profile of asylum seekers is impacting Austria

Asylum policy is a controversial topic in Austria, especially in an election year. The far-right has been pushing its anti-immigration agenda to gather support ahead of federal elections later this year.

While the sheer number of refugees can shape an election, differences in who those refugees are and where they come from also create challenges and demands for government action.

The profile of those seeking asylum in Austria has changed compared to recent years.

In the first quarter of 2024, almost a third of asylum applications came from children between the ages of zero and seven, as Austrian media has reported.

Around 53 percent of applicants are minors, and the proportion of women seeking asylum has also risen significantly. However, the overall number of asylum applications during the period fell by 32 percent compared to the same period the year before. 

Whereas 2023 most asylum applications in Austria were from males (only around 24 percent of applications were submitted by women), the country is now experiencing the “family reunification” phenomenon. In other words the wifes and children are following to seek protection.

Asylum applicants are still mostly from Syria and Afghanistan – two nationalities with a high chance of obtaining protection in Austria. Only 30 percent of applications from Syrians were rejected, whereas for Afghans 39 percent were refused.

READ ALSO: Border centres and ‘safe’ states: The EU’s major asylum changes explained

What does the change in profile mean for Austria?

One immediate consequence of the influx of children has already been seen in Vienna, the destination of most refugees: the school system is overwhelmed with the new arrivals, as several Austrian newspapers have reported in the last few weeks.

“This is putting such a strain on the system that high-quality teaching is hardly possible any more,” Thomas Krebs, a union representative, told Kurier. According to the report, around 300 children will arrive in Vienna every month, resulting in a need for 140 classes by the end of the school year. 

The Austrian capital was already overwhelmed by a shortage of teachers and an overflow of schoolchildren—particularly since the war in Ukraine, when 4,000 children were integrated into Vienna’s schools from February 2022.

The kids coming from Syria also need more support than merely German classes: “The Syrian children who come to us from refugee camps are a particular challenge for the system. Many are traumatised and often not even literate in their own language,” Krebs said.

He added that children need to spend more time in kindergarten—to learn “the basics, not just the language.” The education expert also believes it’s necessary to invest more in extracurricular activities, where young people can learn German, acquire behavioural skills that are important for school, and learn how to spend their free time meaningfully.

READ ALSO: What’s the reason behind the drop in Austrian asylum seeker claims?

What is Vienna doing?

Vienna’s Department of Education points out that new teachers are being recruited. In the current academic year, 2,400 teachers have been hired, Kurier reported.

Director of Education Heinrich Himmer said: “We support pupils and face the challenges together so that learning and living together work well. I would like to thank everyone who works so hard in Vienna’s schools. However, the responsibility for integration is an all-Austrian one, where solutions exist at the federal level.”

How does family reunification work?

There is a special process for granting family reunification rights for family members of refugees in Austria. 

According to information from the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, if a foreigner has been granted asylum status in Austria, family members can apply for an entry permit at an Austrian representation authority abroad within three months of this status being granted.

If this is granted, they can travel to Austria to apply for asylum in the family procedure and receive the same protection status as the reference person. If the application is only submitted after three months, they must also provide proof of adequate accommodation, health insurance, and income.

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