Bundesversammlung
consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (63 members; members
represent each of the provinces on the basis of population, but with
each province having at least three representatives) and the National
Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: National Council - last held 17 December 1995 (next to be
held Fall 1999)
election results : National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe
38.3%, OeVP 28.3%, FPOe 22.1%, Greens 4.6%, LF 5.3%, other 1.4%; seats
by party - SPOe 71, OeVP 53, FPOe 40, Greens 9, LF 10

Judicial branch: Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof;
Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court
or Verfassungsgerichtshof

Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party of Austria or
SPOe [Viktor KLIMA, chairman]; Austrian People's Party or OeVP
[Wolfgang SCHUESSEL, chairman]; Freedom Movement or FPOe (formerly the
Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Joerg HAIDER, chairman]; Communist
Party or KPOe [Walter SILBERMAYER, chairman]; The Greens [Madeleine
PETROVIC]; Liberal Forum or LF [Heide SCHMIDT]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Federal Chamber of Trade and
Commerce; Austrian Trade Union Federation (primarily Socialist) or
OeGB; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP
representing business, labor, and farmers; OeVP-oriented League of
Austrian Industrialists or VOeI; Roman Catholic Church, including its
chief lay organization, Catholic Action

International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB,
Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU,
FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
MINURSO, MTCR, NACC (observer), NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),
OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU
(observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Helmut TUERK
chancery : 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035
telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700
FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Swanee G. HUNT
embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091, Vienna
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