1945 Austrian legislative election

The elections to the Austrian National Council held on 25 November 1945 were the first after World War II. The elections were held according to the Austrian election law of 1929, with all citizens at least 21 years old eligible to vote,[1] however former Nazis were banned from voting, official sources putting their numbers at around 200,000.[2]

1945 Austrian legislative election

25 November 1945
165 seats in the National Council of Austria 83 seats needed for a majority
Leader Leopold Figl Adolf Schärf Johann Koplenig Party ÖVP SPÖ KPÖ Leader since 17 April 1945 15 December 1945 1924 Seats won 85 76 4 Popular vote 1,602,227 1,434,898 174,257 Percentage 49.80% 44.60% 5.42%
Chancellor before election Karl Renner (Acting) SPÖ Elected Chancellor Leopold Figl ÖVP

The Austrian People's Party, comprising elements of the prewar Christian Social Party under the leadership of Leopold Figl, won a decisive victory, receiving just under half of the vote and 85 of the 165 seats in the National Council. With an outright majority of two seats, the ÖVP could have governed alone. However, Figl retained with the three-party grand coalition alongside the Socialists and Communists. The Communists, who had been equally represented in the government of Figl's predecessor, Socialist Karl Renner, since the end of the war, only received one cabinet post.[3]

On 20 December 1945 the Federal Assembly of Austria unanimously elected incumbent Chancellor Renner as President of Austria. Renner swore in Figl as new chancellor on the same day.[4][5]

The Communists only gained four seats, which some blamed on the conduct of the Red Army in the Soviet occupied zone of Austria.[6] This proved to be the beginning of a long decline for the Communists, though they stayed in the chamber until May 1959.

Results

 Summary of the 25 November 1945 National Council of Austria election results

Parties		Votes	%	Seats
	Austrian People's Party (Österreichische Volkspartei)	1,602,227	49.80	85
	Socialist Party of Austria (Sozialistische Partei Österreichs)	1,434,898	44.60	76
	Communist Party of Austria (Kommunistische Partei Österreichs)	174,257	5.42	4
	Democratic Party of Austria (Demokratische Partei Österreichs)	5,972	0.18	0
Invalid/blank votes		35,975	–	–
Total (turnout 94%)		3,253,329	100.0	165
Source: Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010). Elections in Europe: A data handbook. p. 213.

Popular vote ÖVP   49.80% SPÖ   44.60% KPÖ   5.42% DPÖ   0.18%

Parliamentary seats ÖVP   51.52% SPÖ   46.06% KPÖ   2.42%

References

1. Herald Journal - 24 November 1945 (Google News), retrieved 19 May 2010
2. Ottawa Citizen - 23 November 1945 (Google News), retrieved 19 May 2010
3. Federal Chancellery of Austria - Austrian Chancellors and Cabinets since 1945 Archived 2013-12-26 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 19 May 2010
4. President of Austria - Dr. Karl Renner Archived 2011-05-14 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 19 May 2010
5. Herald Journal - 21 December 1945 (Google News), retrieved 19 May 2010
6. The Sydney Morning Herald - 27 November 1945 (Google News), retrieved 19 May 2010