1949 Austrian legislative election

1949 Austrian legislative election
← 1945 9 October 1949 1953 →
165 seats in the National Council of Austria
83 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Leopold Figl Adolf Schärf
Party ÖVP SPÖ
Last election 49.80%, 85 seats 44.60%, 76 seats
Seats won 77 67
Seat change Decrease 8 Decrease 9
Popular vote 1,846,581 1,623,524
Percentage 44.03% 38.71%
Swing Decrease5.77pp Decrease5.91pp
  Third party Fourth party
 
Leader Herbert Kraus Johann Koplenig
Party VdU KPÖ
Last election – 5.42%, 4 seats
Seats won 16 5
Seat change New Increase 1
Popular vote 489,273 213,066
Percentage 11.67% 5.08%
Swing New Decrease0.34pp
Results of the election, showing seats won by constituency and nationwide. Constituencies are shaded according to the first-place party.
Chancellor before election

Leopold Figl
ÖVP

Elected Chancellor

Leopold Figl
ÖVP

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Parliamentary elections were held in Austria on 9 October 1949. About 500,000 registered Nazis, who were not allowed to vote in 1945, regained their voting rights. A newly created party, the Electoral Party of Independents (WdU) (a predecessor of the Freedom Party of Austria) specifically targeted this group of voters and immediately won a large share of votes.[1] The Austrian People's Party remained strongest party, although losing their absolute majority of seats. Leopold Figl stayed as Chancellor, leading a coalition with the Socialist Party of Austria as junior partner.[2]

  1. ^ The Development of Right-Wing Extremism After 1945 Documentation Archive of Austrian Resistance
  2. ^ Austrian Cabinets since 1945 Austrian Chancellery