Austria legislative election, 1999

In Austria, the legislative election of October 3, 1999 (elections for the National Council of Austria) caused a major upheaval in the political landscape.

Related Topics:
Austria - October 3 - 1999 - National Council of Austria

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From 1971 to 1983, the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) had ruled the country alone, receiving an absolute majority of both votes and seats in the national elections of 1971, 1975, 1979 under the leadership of Bruno Kreisky.

Related Topics:
1971 - 1983 - Social Democratic Party of Austria - 1971 - 1975 - 1979 - Bruno Kreisky

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From 1983 to 1986, the SPÖ, under the leadership of Fred Sinowatz, headed a coalition government with the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), which was then led by Norbert Steger, a liberal; this coalition broke when the right-wing politician Jörg Haider became the leader of the FPÖ.

Related Topics:
1983 - 1986 - Fred Sinowatz - Freedom Party of Austria - Norbert Steger - Jörg Haider

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From 1986 to 1999 the government was formed by a coalition between SPÖ and its junior partner ÖVP (Austrian People's Party). During that time the share of Haider's FPÖ grew from 5% to 27%.

Related Topics:
1986 - Austrian People's Party

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In the 1999 election campaign, Wolfgang Schüssel, leader of the ÖVP since 1995, announced that his party would not be part of next government if it should fall behind its current second place. His promise did (as he had planned) mobilize his voters, but not enough -- by the slimmest of margins, Schüssel's ÖVP had to yield the second position to Haider's FPÖ (see table below).

Related Topics:
Wolfgang Schüssel - 1995

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The Liberal Forum lost all its 10 seats in the National Council, where they had been represented since 1993, and has subsequently become a microparty.

Related Topics:
Liberal Forum - 1993

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