That customs and traditions also exist in Austrian politics can be seen again and again in the first National Council meeting after the National Council elections. This was also on Thursday, when the 183 newly elected representatives met in Parliament’s Great Chamber for the first time this legislative term. Under the watchful eye of federal president Alexander van der Bellen, everyone was called by name and sworn in – a real first for 72 of them. You are not yet sitting in the National Assembly.
Despite all the formalities, much of the day’s attention was focused on one item on the agenda that was later on the agenda: the election of the Presidium of the National Council. After all, the office of Chairman of the National Council is formally the second highest post in the state.
National Council: New legislative term begins
A National Council has been constituted. The new legislative term begins with the swearing in of 183 representatives. There are more than 70 new faces in the MPs. Walter Rosenkranz (FPÖ) was elected President of the National Council. It followed the well-known practice of allocating posts in the Presidium according to the strength of the parties.
Rosary was elected with 100 votes
Of course, this election is about customs and tradition. However, this time it was also questioned by some parties. The FPÖ’s nomination of Rosenkranz as the party with the most votes had already caused controversy beforehand. The Greens launched a petition against the Brotherhood member. The Jewish Community (IKG) Vienna and the Mauthausen Committee (MKÖ) warned, and SOS Mitmensch appealed to members of the ÖVP, SPÖ, NEOS and the Greens not to vote for Rosencrans.
This time, too, the majority of MPs stuck to the earlier practice of electing the candidate from the party with the largest number of seats as primus inter pares. 100 of the 162 valid votes in the election went to Rosenkranz. This corresponds to 61.7 percent, thus the absolute majority required for elections. Although Rosenkranz’s result was less than that achieved by his predecessor Wolfgang Sobotka (ÖVP) five years earlier; However, he received 61.3 percent of the vote that Sobotka received when he was first elected in 2017.
A relatively large number of mandates – ie 20 – yielded invalid votes this time. One decided not to vote at all. It can be assumed that at least 57 FPÖ MPs voted for the candidate proposed by their party, even if the election was held by secret ballot. That means 43 more votes for Rosencrans came from other parties.
Haubner and Bures complete the praesidium
Anyone who wants to know which MPs voted for former Third National Council President Norbert Hofer (FPÖ) may be confused. His name appeared 26 times on the ballot paper. Although he was not nominated by the FPÖ, he was to run as the party’s main candidate in the Burgenland elections. Doris Bures (SPÖ) was written 23 times on the ballot. The Green Party had announced its choice. Seven more votes were added to their 16 votes.
However, Bures, the previous second National Council president, actually came into action later. After Rosenkranz’s election, ÖVP candidate Peter Hoppner was elected as the second National Council leader with 148 of the 168 valid votes (88.1 percent). In the election for the third National Council presidency, 131 out of 175 valid votes went to Bures.
Reconciliation Inaugural Speech
In his inaugural address, Rosencrans was firmly conciliatory. He wanted to steer the fate of the House in constructive agreement with the other members of the Presidium, and members of the five parliamentary houses could always come to him with their concerns. He rejected “assurances” that meetings could not be convened, thereby disrupting democracy: “Such horror scenes are inappropriate for me.”
Dannhauser (ORF) National Council Presidium Election
Walter Rosenkranz (FPÖ) was elected President of the National Council with 100 votes. 182 votes were cast of which 20 were invalid. Hence 82 votes are required for absolute majority. Claudia Dannhauser (ORF) analyzes the election of the executive board in a studio conversation.
The fight against anti-Semitism will continue under him, said Rosencrans, a member of the violent Brotherhood. Finally, the President of the National Council is also the President of the National Fund for Victims of National Socialism. When it comes to Holocaust commemorations in parliament, Rosencrans is willing to step aside in favor of one of his deputies if he gets in the way. He called on MPs to refrain from defamation and defamation in debates. At the same time, he spoke in favor of live broadcasts by the inquiry teams.
Sobotka says goodbye
The outgoing National Council leader spoke again before Rosencrans addressed MPs after his election. Sobotka said he was leaving the post “not with sadness, but with great gratitude.” He expressed his sincere thanks to his representatives Bures and Hofer, as well as the club leaders and club directors of other sections and all the parliamentary staff for their excellent work during the last legislative term.
He then reviewed the renovation of the house and emphasized the Parliament’s role in terms of contemporary art, not discussing the sculptures he had recently acquired by the Austrian artist Erwin Wurm. He also warned of the weakening of liberal democracy and the resurgence of anti-Semitism.
Discussion and formal conclusion
The previous discussion provided a preview of the upcoming National Council meetings. The last election and the upcoming government formation took up a lot of space – again a question of political customs and traditions. Unusually, the federal president on Tuesday did not appoint the party with the largest number of votes, but ordered previous chancellor Karl Nehmar’s ÖVP to form a government.
As per political formalities, the Election Commission meeting concluded in the evening. After the inauguration and presidential election, several committees were filled – including the core and budget committees. A date has also been fixed for the upcoming National Council meeting – November 20.
