Independence: 1156 (from Bavaria)

National holiday: National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates
the State Treaty restoring national sovereignty and the end of occupation
and the passage of the law on permanent neutrality

Constitution: 1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)

Legal system: civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review
of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative
and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts 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) head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since
4 February 2000); Vice Chancellor Susanne RIESS-PASSER (FPOe) (since
4 February 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president
on the advice of the chancellor elections: president elected by direct
popular vote for a six-year term; presidential election last held 19 April
1998 (next to be held in the spring of 2004); chancellor traditionally
chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National Council;
in the case of the current coalition, the chancellor was chosen from
another party after the plurality party failed to form a government;
vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor
note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe election results: Thomas
KLESTIL reelected president; percent of vote - Thomas KLESTIL 63%,
Gertraud KNOLL 14%, Heide SCHMIDT 11%, Richard LUGNER 10%, Karl NOWAK 2%

Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung
consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (64 members; members represent
each of the states on the basis of population, but with each state having
at least three representatives; members serve a four- or six-year term)
and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected
by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) election results:
National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 33.2%, OeVP 26.9%,
FPOe 26.9%, Greens 7.4%; seats by party - SPOe 65, OeVP 52, FPOe 52,
Greens 14 elections: National Council - last held 3 October 1999 (next
to be held in the fall of 2003)

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

Political parties and leaders: Austrian People's P