Austria

The three branches

Head of State — Federal President

Directly elected for six years; appoints the Chancellor and can dismiss the government.

Executive — Federal Chancellor and Federal Government

Accountable to the Nationalrat, which can pass a vote of no confidence.

Legislative — Nationalrat and Bundesrat

183 members elected by proportional representation; the Bundesrat represents the Länder with a suspensive veto only.

Judicial — Three apex courts

Constitutional, administrative and ordinary jurisdictions are institutionally separate.

Oversight — Volksanwaltschaft and Court of Audit

The Ombudsman Board investigates maladministration; the Rechnungshof audits public spending.

How legislation is made

Bills originate with the government, members of the Nationalrat, the Bundesrat or a popular initiative, and pass three readings in the Nationalrat. The Bundesrat may object but can normally be overridden. The Federal President authenticates the law, the Chancellor countersigns, and it is published in the Bundesgesetzblatt.

Enforcement institutions

Staatsanwaltschaften

Public prosecutors direct criminal investigations, under the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Bundeskriminalamt and Landeskriminalämter

Criminal police at federal and Länder level.

Bundespolizei

Policing is a federal competence in Austria, unlike in Germany or Switzerland.