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Parliament of Austria; Österreichisches Parlament
Type
Type	Bicameral
Houses	Bundesrat; Nationalrat
Leadership
Structure
Members	245
Election
Bundesrat Voting system	Appointment by the Landtage
Nationalrat Voting system	Proportional representation
Bundesrat Last election	not a directly elected house
Nationalrat Last election	Austrian legislative election, 2008
Meeting place
	Austrian Parliament Building, house of the Old Chamber of Deputies
Website
	http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/

In the Parliament of Austria (Österreichisches Parlament) is vested the legislative power of the Republic of Austria. The institution consists of two chambers,

the National Council (Nationalrat) and
the Federal Council (Bundesrat).

National Council 183 members elected directly in general elections term of office: 5 years	Federal Council variable membership, currently 62 members elected indirectly through provincial diets revolving membership, term of delegates varies by province
Federal Assembly (joint session of both houses)

The National Council is composed of 183 members elected through proportional representation in a general election. This happens every five years, or earlier if the National Council prematurely moves for its own dissolution. The National Council is the dominant (albeit 'lower') house in the Austrian Parliament, and consequently the terms Parliament and National Council are commonly used synonymously.

The Federal Council is elected indirectly, through the provincial diets (Landtage) of the nine States of the Federal Republic. The states are represented in the Federal Council roughly in accordance to the size of their populations. Seats are redistributed among the states following each general census, and the overall size of the chamber is slightly variable as a result of this. The current Federal Council is composed of 62 delegates. With regard to most issues, the Federal Council only possesses a dilatory right of veto which can be overridden by the National Council. However, the Federal Council enjoys absolute veto powers over bills intended to alter the powers of either the states, or of the Federal Council itself.

The Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung) is a body of mostly ceremonial function, consisting of the members of both houses of parliament. The Federal Assembly convenes only rarely, for instance to witness the inauguration of the Federal President. It might be noted, however, that under exceptional circumstances the Austrian constitution endows the Federal Assembly with significant responsibilities. An example of this would be its pivotal role in the hypothetic impeachment of a Federal President.

Both houses of parliament, as well as the Federal Assembly, convene in the Parliament building located on Vienna's Ringstraße.

The Austrian Parliament front in Vienna

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Parliament of Austria

The Austrian Parliament - Official Homepage