Next federal presidential election in Austria

The 14th federal presidential election in Austria is expected to take place in autumn 2022.

meeting

By ordinance of the federal government , in agreement with the main committee of the National Council, the election date is set and advertised by announcement. With this announcement, the deadline is also determined after the deadlines that are relevant for the implementation of the federal presidential election. A specific requirement for setting the date therefore only exists insofar as the next Federal President must be sworn in on January 26, 2023. Taking into account the deadlines for a possible runoff election and possible contestation, an appointment in late autumn 2022 is to be expected.

Suffrage

Formal requirements

The legal provisions for the election of the Federal President can be found in the Federal Presidential Election Act 1971 (BPäsWG), in conjunction with Art. 60 Federal Constitutional Law (B-VG). Austrian citizens who have reached the age of 16 by the end of the day of the election and are not excluded from voting by a judicial conviction are entitled to vote. For the right to stand for election , the completion of the 35th year of life is required.

As a prerequisite for running as a candidate for the election of the Federal President, at least 6,000 associated declarations of support must be submitted to the federal electoral authority set up at the Ministry of the Interior together with the candidate proposal; at the same time, a contribution to costs of 3,600 euros must be made in accordance with Section 7 BPäsWG. The last submission deadline is the 37th day before election day at 5 p.m. Candidates who fail to submit a valid nomination will receive their contribution back in accordance with Section 9 of the BPäsWG. The person applying for election who receives the absolute majority of the valid votes cast is elected ( Section 17, first sentence, BPäsWG). If this is not the case for any of the candidates in the first ballot, a second ballot will take place between the two candidates who received the most votes in the first ballot ("shortlist", § 18 ). If two applicants have the same number of votes, the lot to be drawn by the Federal Returning Officer decides on participation in the second ballot ( § 18, last sentence).

In the event that no candidate with a majority of valid votes (that is at least 50% plus one vote) emerges from the second ballot, but both have achieved a tie, the shortlist is in accordance with Section 20 (3) - with analogous application of the electoral provisions for the second ballot - to be repeated until there is a majority according to § 17 first sentence (see above).

Possible candidates

As announced immediately after the last election decision, Norbert Hofer confirmed in October 2018 that he intends to run again as a candidate in 2022. With regard to other possible candidates such as Irmgard Griss , Othmar Karas , Matthias Strolz , Doris Bures and Peter Kaiser , there is currently only speculation in the media. The incumbent Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen is still undecided about a new candidacy. In February 2020, the incumbent National Council presidents Wolfgang Sobotka , Doris Bures and Norbert Hofer were asked again about a possible candidacy on the television program Hohes Haus . Sobotka ruled out such a question, Bures and Hofer left this question open.

See also

• Election results of the Austrian federal presidential elections
• List of Federal Presidents of the Republic of Austria
• Political system of Austria

literature

• Robert Stein : Right to vote: Postal voting, deadlines, exclusion. On October 1, 2011, the Electoral Law Amendment Act 2011 came into force. Among other things, it brings innovations to postal voting and reasons for exclusion from voting. In: Public Safety , Issue 11–12 / 2011, Federal Ministry of the Interior (Ed.), Vienna 2011, pp. 89–91 ( PDF; 138 KB ).
• Karin Stöger: Head or Representative? The position of the Federal President in the Austrian political system. Series of learning modules for political education. Democracy Center Vienna (Ed.), February 2016 ( PDF; 356 KB ).

Legal bases

• Art. 60 B-VG in the version of October 1, 2011 valid at the time of the last election
• Federal President Election Act 1971 as amended on January 1, 2016 ( Federal Law Gazette I No. 158/2015 )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ bmi.gv.at - election of the Federal President
2. ↑ derstandard.at - Hofer wants to run for president again in 2022
3. ↑ derstandard.at - Hofer wants to run for Hofburg - who else?
4. ↑ profil.at - Van der Bellen: "Gudenus? That is just ridiculous."
5. ↑ orf.at - Federal President: Sobotka does not want to run for office