Freedom in the World 1999 - Austria

1999 Scores

Status: Free
Freedom Rating: 1.0
Civil Liberties: 1
Political Rights: 1

Overview

Dominating Austrian political life throughout 1999 was the run-up to national elections and the eventual second place-electoral victory on October 3 of Jorg Haider's nationalist Freedom Party. In March, the 49-year-old son of a former minor Nazi party official, espousing an anti-immigrant platform, was elected governor of the southern province of Carinthia. By then his party already held 40 out of 183 national council seats. Heightening fears of Austrian jobs lost to foreigners, Haider's party captured 26.9 percent of the popular vote in the national election, shunting the government's junior coalition partner, the Christian Democratic Austrian People's Party (OVP), into third place and chipping away substantially at the ruling Social Democrats' dominance. Ironically, Austria has the second-lowest immigration rate of European Union (EU) countries, with foreigner comprising only ten percent of its population. Unemployment also remains low. Haider now dominates the largest far-right party in Europe.

In the wake of the election, Chancellor Viktor Klima promised to keep the Freedom Party out of the government, immediately ruling out the prospect of a coalition with Haider's party. Klima vowed to retain the coalition with the conservative OVP, that has prevailed for the last 13 years. Haider does not hide his ambition to one day become chancellor. Analysts speculate that the Freedom Party's strong electoral finish was due in part to public displeasure with coalition politics, high taxes, and an austerity budget.

Rifts in Austria's coalition government continued to spread throughout 1999. As in the previous year, debate continued over whether Austria should join NATO. Chancellor Victor Klima and his Social Democratic Party (SPO), which has dominated national political life for 28 years, seek to maintain Austria's traditional neutrality and claim that there is insufficient popular support for the country to seek NATO membership. At the same time, Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schussel, leader of the OVP, argues that Austria should join NATO, just as it joined the EU, and influence the policy of an organization that clearly affects events in Austria. Debate also continued between the coalition partners over economic policy, with the OVP favoring total liberalization.

The Republic of Austria was established in 1918 after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was reborn in 1945, seven years after its annexation by Nazi Germany. Occupation by the Western allies and the Soviet Union ended in 1955 under the Austrian State Treaty, which guaranteed Austrian neutrality and restored national sovereignty.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Austrians can change their government democratically. The country's provinces possess considerable latitude in local administration and can check federal power by electing members of the upper house of parliament. Voting is compulsory in some provinces. The independent judiciary is headed by a supreme court and includes both constitutional and administrative courts.

A 1955 treaty prohibits Nazis from exercising freedom of assembly and association. Nazi organizations are illegal, but Nazis are welcomed in the Freedom Party. In 1992, public denial of the Holocaust and justification of approval of Nazi crimes against humanity were outlawed. In general, Austrian police enforce these anti-Nazi statutes more enthusiastically when extremists attract international attention.

Austrian media are free. Legal restrictions on press freedom on the grounds of public morality or national security are rarely invoked. The Austrian Broadcasting Company, which controls radio and television, is state-owned, but is protected from political interference by a broadcasting law.

Women hold approximately ten percent of federal assembly seats and approximately 20 percent of provincial seats. They are prohibited by law from working at night in most occupations. Nurses, taxi drivers, and a few other workers are exempted from this ban. Women generally earn 20 percent less than men and are not allowed to serve in the military. The ruling SPO has pledged to begin to address gender biases by ensuring that women occupy 40 percent of all party and government posts by 2003.

Under the informal proporz system, many state and private sector appointments – including those of senior teachers in state schools – are made on the basis of affiliation with the two main political parties.

Trade unions retain an important independent voice in Austria's political, social, and economic life. Fifty-two percent of workers are organized in 14 national unions, all of which belong to the Austrian Trade Union Federation and which are managed by supporters of the country's traditional political parties. Although not explicitly guaranteed in the constitution or in national legislation, the right to strike is universally recognized.