Election of the Federal President in Austria in 1992
The election of the Federal President in Austria in 1992 , the ninth popular election of an Austrian head of state , took place on April 26, 1992. The previous incumbent, Kurt Waldheim , had not sought a second term, although the constitution would have allowed it.
No candidate was able to achieve the required absolute majority in the first ballot. Rudolf Streicher ( SPÖ ) took first place ahead of Thomas Klestil ( ÖVP ). The runoff election on May 24, 1992 Klestil could decide for themselves.
Starting position
The previous Federal President Kurt Waldheim did not want to run again, although he had only had one term of office behind him. Former Austrian Ambassador to the United States, Thomas Klestil , officially independent but supported by the ÖVP , Rudolf Streicher from the SPÖ , Heide Schmidt from the FPÖ and Robert Jungk from the Greens, applied for his successor .
Candidates and results of the ballot
First ballot
| candidate | valid votes | proportion of |
|---|---|---|
| Rudolf Streicher | 1,888,599 | 40.7% |
| Thomas Klestil | 1,728,234 | 37.2% |
| Heide Schmidt | 761,390 | 16.4% |
| Robert Jungk | 266,954 | 5.7% |
Of 5,676,903 eligible voters, 4,788,894 cast their votes, which results in a voter turnout of 84.4%. 143,717 votes were considered invalid, which corresponds to 3% of the votes cast.
Second ballot
| candidate | valid votes | proportion of |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Klestil | 2,528,006 | 56.9% |
| Rudolf Streicher | 1,915,380 | 43.1% |
Of 5,676,903 eligible voters, 4,592,932 cast their votes, which results in a turnout of 80.9%. 149,546 votes were considered invalid, which corresponds to 3.3% of the votes cast.
Swearing in
Thomas Klestil was sworn in on July 8, 1992 before the Federal Assembly.