European Parliament election, 1996 (Austria)

The European Parliament election of 1996 in Austria was the election of the delegation from Austria to the European Parliament in 1996.

Background

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In 1996, Austria was a country with a population of 7.9 million (5.8 million voters). The federal government was a "grand coalition" of the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and the Christian Democratic Party (ÖVP) and was led by Chancellor Franz Vranitzky.

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At the last national election in 1995, the parties obtained the following results: SPÖ: 38.1%, ÖVP: 28.3%, FPÖ: 21.9%, Liberals: 5.5% and Greens: 4.8%.

Composition before election

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An asterisk (*) indicates Members standing for re-election.

Electoral system

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The electoral system used for the European elections was based on proportional representation, comparable to the system traditionally used in Austria for legislative elections.

The parties put forward lists of candidates. The seats are shared out on the basis of the percentage of the votes obtained by each list. Because of the limited number of seats, the lists were identical for the whole of Austria; there were no regional lists. The threshold required to win a seat was 4%. Candidates who win 7% of the total 'preference votes' obtained by their party would win one of the seats accorded to the party, irrespective of their position on the list. The lists of candidates had to be signed by three members of the national parliament, or by one Member of the European Parliament, or by 2600 voters. The minimum voting age was 18. European citizens residing in Austria were entitled to vote provided that they did not vote in their country of origin in the June 1994 European elections. 7205 European citizens registered and fulfilled that condition.

Parties running for election

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The following political parties entered lists for the European elections on 13 October 1996:

Parties represented in the EP

Parties not represented in the EP

Results

 Summary of the results of Austria's 13 October 1996 election to the European Parliament
1996 • 1999 →
National party European party Votes % +/– Seats +/–
People's Party (ÖVP) EPP 1,124,921 29.65 7
Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) PES 1,105,910 29.15 6
Freedom Party (FPÖ) None 1,044,604 27.53 6
The Greens – The Green Alternative (GRÜNE) EGP 258,250 6.81 1
Liberal Forum (LIF) ELDR 161,583 4.26 1
The Neutrals (N) None 48,600 1.28 0
Forum Handicap None 32,621 0.86 0
Communist Party (KPÖ) PEL 17,656 0.47 0
Valid votes 3,794,145
Blank and invalid votes 134,393
Totals 3,928,538 100.00 21
Electorate (eligible voters) and voter turnout 5,800,377 67.73
Source: Austrian Ministry of Interior

References