Austria Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Republic of Austria

Type: federal republic

Capital: Vienna

Political subdivisions: 9 states (lander) in eluding the capital

l egal system: civil law system with Roman law origin; constitution adopted 1920. repromulgated 1945; judicial review of legislative acts by a Constitutional Court, separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; legal education at Universities of Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck, Salzburg, and Linz; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: 26 October

Branches, bicameral legislature (Federal Assembly—Federal Council, National Council), directly elected President whose functions are largely representational, independent federal judiciary

Government leaders: Rudolf K1RCHSCHLAGER, President (since July 1974); Fred SINOWATZ, Chancellor (since May 1983), leads a Socialist ^zFreedom Party of Austria coalition

Suffrage: universal over age 19; compulsory for presidential elections

Flections: presidential, every six years (next 1986); parliamentary, every four years (next 1987)

Political parties and leaders: Socialist Party of Austria (SP0), Fred Sinowatz, chairman; Austrian People’s Party iOVP), Alois Mock chairman; Liberal Party (FPO), Norbert Steger, chairman; Communist Party (KP0), Franz Muhri, chairman; Alternative List Austria (ALO), no leader; United Greens (VGO), Josef Buchner, leader

Voting strength: (1983 election) parliamentary— SP(> 47.65%, OVP 43.22%, FPO 498%, VG0 1.93%, AL0 1.36%, KPO 0.66%

Communists: membership 15,000 est, activists 7,000-8,000

Other political or pressure groups: Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Austrian Trade Union Federation (primarily Socialist); three composite leagues of the Austrian People’s Party (0VP) representing business, labor, and farmers; OVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action

Member of: ADB, Council of Europe, DAC, ECE, EFTA, EMA, ESRO (observer), FAO, GATT, IAEA, 1DB—Inter-American Development Bank, IBRD, 1CAC, ICAO, IDA, 1EA, IFAD, 1FC, 1LO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, 1WC—International Wheat Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, WSG

NOTE: The information regarding Austria on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Austria 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Austria 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.