Austria is a parliamentary republic, founded on democratic principles and the separation of powers. The highest state representative is the Federal President, whose term of office lasts for 6 years. The two parliamentary chambers are the National Council (lower house) and the Federal Council (upper house) and these are the legislative bodies. The Federal Chancellor is the head of the Federal Government.
The Federal Constitution, the State Treaty, the Declaration of Neutrality and the EU Accession Agreement form the constitutional basis of the Republic. Austria has been a member of the European Union since 1st January 1995.
Five parties are currently represented in the National Council (2009): The two ruling parties are the Austrian Social Democratic Party and the Austrian People's Party. The other parliamentary parties are the Austrian Green Party, the Austrian Freedom Party and the Alliance for Austria's Future.
Distribution of Mandates
SPÖ (Social Democratic Party of Austria)
ÖVP (Austrian People's Party)
FPÖ (Austrian Freedom Party)
BZÖ (Alliance for Austria's Future)
Die Grünen (The Greens)
Austria is currently ruled by a grand coalition of the Social Democrats and the People's Party (2009). In line with the constitution, the next general election is due in 2013.
Austria is a federation made up of nine federal provinces. The federal capital city, Vienna, is also one of the nine federal provinces in its own right. Each of the nine provinces is led by a provincial government, headed by a Governor.
Capital Cities of the Provinces