29 (reinstated 1 May 1945)

Legal system: civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review
of legislative acts by a Constitutional Court; separate administrative
and civil/penal supreme courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential
elections

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Thomas KLESTIL (since 8 July 1992); election
last held 24 May 1992 (next to be held 1996); results of second ballot
- Thomas KLESTIL 57%, Rudolf STREICHER 43%
head of government: Chancellor Franz VRANITZKY (since 16 June 1986);
Vice Chancellor Erhard BUSEK (since 2 July 1991)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; chosen by the president on the advice
of the chancellor

Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung)
Federal Council (Bundesrat): consists of 63 members representing each
of the provinces on the basis of population, but with each province
having at least 3 representatives
National Council (Nationalrat): elections last held 9 October 1994
(next to be held October 1998); results - SPOE 34.9%, OEVP 27.7%, FPOE
22.5%, Greens 7.3%, LF 6.0% other 1.6%; seats - (183 total) SPOE 65,
OEVP 52, FPOE 42, Greens 13, LF 11

Judicial branch: Supreme Judicial Court (Oberster Gerichtshof) for
civil and criminal cases, Administrative Court
(Verwaltungsgerichtshof) for bureaucratic cases, Constitutional Court
(Verfassungsgerichtshof) for constitutional cases

Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party of Austria
(SPOE), Franz VRANITZKY, chairman; Austrian People's Party (OEVP),
Erhard BUSEK, chairman; Freedom Movement (F) (was the Freedom Party of
Austria, FPOE), Joerg HAIDER, chairman; Communist Party (KPOE), Walter
SILBERMAYER, chairman; The Greens, Madeleine PETROVIC; Liberal Forum
(LF), Heide SCHMIDT

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 (OEVP) representing
business, labor, and farmers; OEVP-oriented League of Austrian
Industrialists; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay
organization, Catholic Action

Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE,
CEI, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, GATT, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,