The Austrian People's Party[c] is one of the biggest parties in Austria. It was founded in 1945.[2] Its name roughly translates to Austrian People's party. It has about 630,000 members. Its views are often center-right. It opposes moderate socialism, which is embodied by the other big party SPÖ. Former Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel is a member of this party.[3] Former Minister of the Interior Liese Prokop (d. 2006) was also a member.[4]
Austrian People's Party Österreichische Volkspartei | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | ÖVP |
| Chairperson | Christian Stocker |
| Secretary General | Alexander Pröll |
| Parliamentary leader | August Wöginger |
| Leader in the European Parliament | Reinhold Lopatka |
| Founded | 17 April 1945 |
| Headquarters | Lichtenfelsgasse 7, 1010 First District, Vienna |
| Youth wing | Young People's Party |
| Party academy | Political Academy of the Austrian People's Party |
| Membership (2017) | c. 600,000[1][needs update] |
| Ideology |
|
| Political position | Centre-right |
| European affiliation | European People's Party |
| International affiliation | International Democracy Union |
| European Parliament group | European People's Party Group |
| Colours | |
| Governorships | 5 / 9 |
| Landtag Seats | 136 / 440 |
| Party flag | |
 | |
Leaders
change| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Chancellor | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Leopold Figl | 17 April 1945 | 2 April 1953 | Himself (ÖVP) | [5][6] |
|
Julius Raab | 2 April 1953 | 11 April 1961 | Himself (ÖVP) | [7] |
|
Alfons Gorbach | 11 April 1961 | 2 April 1964 | Himself (ÖVP) | [8] |
|
Josef Klaus | 2 April 1964 | 21 April 1970 | Himself (ÖVP) | [9] |
| Hermann Withalm | 21 April 1970 | 5 June 1971 | Bruno Kreisky (SPÖ) | ||
| Karl Schleinzer | 5 June 1971 | 19 July 1975 | |||
| Josef Taus | 19 July 1975 | 7 July 1979 | |||
|
Alois Mock | 7 July 1979 | 24 April 1989 | Bruno Kreisky (SPÖ) Fred Sinowatz (SPÖ) Franz Vranitzky (SPÖ) |
[10] |
|
Josef Riegler | 24 April 1989 | 2 July 1991 | Franz Vranitzky (SPÖ) | |
|
Erhard Busek | 2 July 1991 | 22 April 1995 | [11] | |
 |
Wolfgang Schüssel | 22 April 1995 | 21 April 2007 | Franz Vranitzky (SPÖ) Viktor Klima (SPÖ) Himself (ÖVP) Alfred Gusenbauer (SPÖ) | |
|
Wilhelm Molterer | 21 April 2007 | 28 November 2008 | Alfred Gusenbauer (SPÖ) | [12] |
|
Josef Pröll | 28 November 2008 | 20 May 2011 | Alfred Gusenbauer (SPÖ) Werner Faymann (SPÖ) |
[13] |
 |
Michael Spindelegger | 20 May 2011 | 26 August 2014 | Werner Faymann (SPÖ) | |
 |
Reinhold Mitterlehner | 8 November 2014 | 15 May 2017 | Werner Faymann (SPÖ) Himself (ÖVP) Christian Kern (SPÖ) |
[14] |
_(cropped).jpg)
|
Sebastian Kurz | 15 May 2017 | 3 December 2021 | Christian Kern (SPÖ) Himself (ÖVP) Brigitte Bierlein (Independent Bierlein Government) Himself (ÖVP) Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) |
[15] |
_(Nehammer_crop).jpg) |
Karl Nehammer | 3 December 2021 | 5 January 2025 | Himself (ÖVP) | [16] |
_(cropped).jpg) |
Christian Stocker | 5 January 2025 | Incumbent | Karl Nehammer (ÖVP)
Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) Himself (ÖVP) |
Election results
changeNational Council
change| Election year | # of total votes | % of overall vote | # of seats | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | 1,602,227 (1st) | 49.8% | 85 (1st) | ÖVP-SPÖ-KPÖ Majority |
| 1949 | 1,846,581 (1st) | 44.0% | 77 (1st) | ÖVP-SPÖ Majority |
| 1953 | 1,781,777 (2nd) | 41.3% | 74 (1st) | SPÖ-ÖVP Majority |
| 1956 | 1,999,986 (1st) | 46.0 | 82 (1st) | ÖVP-SPÖ Majority |
| 1959 | 1,928,043 (2nd) | 44.2% | 79 (1st) | ÖVP-SPÖ Majority |
| 1962 | 2,024,501 (1st) | 45.4% | 81 (1st) | ÖVP-SPÖ Majority |
| 1966 | 2,191,109 (1st) | 48.3% | 85 (1st) | ÖVP Majority |
| 1970 | 2,051,012 (2nd) | 44.7% | 78 (2nd) | in opposition |
| 1971 | 1,964,713 (2nd) | 43.1% | 80 (2nd) | in opposition |
| 1975 | 1,981,291 (2nd) | 42.9% | 80 (2nd) | in opposition |
| 1979 | 1,981,739 (2nd) | 41.9% | 77 (2nd) | in opposition |
| 1983 | 2,097,808 (2nd) | 43.2% | 81 (2nd) | in opposition |
| 1986 | 2,003,663 (2nd) | 41.3% | 77 (2nd) | SPÖ-ÖVP Majority |
| 1990 | 1,508,600 (2nd) | 32.1% | 60 (2nd) | SPÖ-ÖVP Majority |
| 1994 | 1,281,846 (2nd) | 27.7% | 52 (2nd) | SPÖ-ÖVP Majority |
| 1995 | 1,370,510 (2nd) | 28.3% | 52 (2nd) | SPÖ-ÖVP Majority |
| 1999 | 1,243,672 (3rd) | 26.9% | 52 (2nd) | ÖVP-FPÖ Majority |
| 2002 | 2,076,833 (1st) | 42.3% | 79 (1st) | ÖVP-FPÖ Majority |
| 2006 | 1,616,493 (2nd) | 34.3% | 66 (2nd) | SPÖ-ÖVP Majority |
| 2008 | 1,269,656 (2nd) | 26.0% | 51 (2nd) | SPÖ-ÖVP Majority |
| 2013 | 1,125,876 (2nd) | 24.0% | 47 (2nd) | SPÖ-ÖVP Majority |
| 2017 | 1,341,930 (1st) | 31.4% | 62 (1st) | ÖVP-FPÖ Majority |
European Parliament
change| Election year | # of total votes | % of overall vote | # of seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1,124,921 (1st) | 29.7% | 7 |
| 1999 | 859,175 (2nd) | 30.7% | 7 |
| 2004 | 817,716 (2nd) | 32.7% | 6 |
| 2009 | 858,921 (1st) | 30.0% | 6 |
| 2014 | 761,896 (1st) | 27.0% | 5 |
Footnotes
change- ↑ Since 2017
- ↑ Until 2017
- ↑ German: Österreichische Volkspartei, shortenend to ÖVP
References
change- ↑ "Zwischen Nutzen und Idealen". orf.at (in German). 17 July 2017. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ↑ "People's Party | political party, Austria". Britannica. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ↑ "Wolfgang Schüssel". Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ↑ "Liese Prokop, politician and Olympic medalist, dies". Taipei Times. January 2, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ↑ "Figl, Leopold". Austria-Forum (in German). Retrieved 2018-12-20.
- ↑ "PK-Nr. 666/2002". www.parlament.gv.at. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
- ↑ "Raab, Julius". Austria-Forum (in German). Retrieved 2018-12-20.
- ↑ "Wiener Zeitung - Alfons Gorbach". 2002-02-11. Archived from the original on 2002-02-11. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
- ↑ "Klaus, Josef". Austria-Forum (in German). Retrieved 2018-12-20.
- ↑ "Alois Mock dies; aided end of Iron Curtain". Newsday. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
- ↑ "Dr. Erhard Busek, Biografie". www.parlament.gv.at. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
- ↑ "Cablegate: Who's Who in the Gusenbauer Cabinet". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
- ↑ ""Für meine Gesundheit": Pröll legt alle Ämter nieder". news.ORF.at (in German). 2011-04-13. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
- ↑ Connolly, Kate (2016-05-09). "Faymann quits as Austrian chancellor following far right's election victory". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
- ↑ Eddy, Melissa (2017-12-18). "Austria's New Government: A Mix of Far-Right, Pro-Europe and Youth". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
- ↑ Eder, Marton (2021-12-03). "Austria Gets Another Leader as Political Turmoil, Covid Rage". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2021-12-14.