Next Austrian legislative election


Legislative elections will be held in Austria by 2029 to elect the 29th National Council, the lower house of Austria's bicameral parliament.

Background

The 2024 legislative election resulted in the Freedom Party of Austria becoming the largest party in parliament for the first time. The Austrian People's Party finished in second place after suffering significant losses and the Social Democratic Party of Austria dropped to third place for the first time in the party's history even though its vote share was almost identical to the 2019 election. NEOS also obtained its best-ever result while the Greens remained in parliament albeit with a reduced seat share. No other party was able to clear the 4% threshold to win seats. It led to a ÖVP-SPÖ-NEOS coalition government with Christian Stocker as Chancellor.

Electoral system

The 183 members of the National Council are elected by open list proportional representation at three levels; a single national constituency, nine constituencies based on the federal states, and 39 regional constituencies. Seats are apportioned to the regional constituencies based on the results of the most recent census. For parties to receive any representation in the National Council, they must either win at least one seat in a constituency directly, or clear a 4 percent national electoral threshold.
Following the elections, seats are allocated to the candidates of successful parties and lists in a three-stage process, starting with the regional constituencies. Seats are distributed according to the Hare quota in the regional constituencies, and with unallocated seats distributed at the state constituency level. Any remaining seats are then allocated using the D'Hondt method at the federal level, to ensure overall proportionality between a party's national vote share and its share of parliamentary seats.
In addition to voting for a political party, voters may cast three preferential votes for specific candidates of that party, but are not required to do so. These additional votes do not affect the proportional allocation based on the vote for the party or list, but can change the rank order of candidates on a party's lists at the federal, state, and regional level. The threshold to increase the position of a candidate on a federal party list is 7 percent, compared to 10 percent at the state level, and 14 percent at the regional level. The names of candidates on regional party lists are printed on the ballot and can be marked with an "x" to indicate the voter's preference. Preference votes for candidates on party lists at the state and federal level, however, must be written in by the voter, either by writing the name or the rank number of the candidate in a blank spot provided for that purpose.

Opinion polls

2026

Polling firmFieldwork dateSample
size		MethodOthersLead
Polling firmFieldwork dateSample
size		MethodLead
12–14 Jan 20261,000Online372020893317
12–14 Jan 20262,000Online3521189103414
5–7 Jan 20262,000Online3619189114317
2–5 Jan 20261,509Online3620189114216
2024 legislative election29 Sep 2024––28.826.321.19.18.22.44.02.5

2025

Polling firmFieldwork dateSample
size		MethodOthersLead
Polling firmFieldwork dateSample
size		MethodLead
8–9 Dec 20252,000Online3818189113320
17–18 Nov 20252,000Online3819189112319
3–4 Nov 20252,000Online3720188103417
17–21 Oct 20251,215Online3621179114215
13–14 Oct 20252,000Online3821177114217
6–7 Oct 20252,000Online3820178104318
15–16 Sep 20252,000Online3621188113315
10–12 Sep 20251,500Online36211810113115
9–11 Sep 20251,027Online33231910113110
8–9 Sep 20252,000Online3621188113315
Early Sep 2025?Online3322191011–511
1–2 Sep 20252,000Online3621199102315
15–27 Aug 20251,000Online371920994217
24–30 Jul 2025810Online + CAPI3522201093113
14–17 Jul 20251,000Online3719209104117
6–7 Jun 20251,250Online3224191011318
2–5 Jun 2025800Online + Phone3123191310318
28 May–3 Jun 2025824Online + CAPI34212010103213
26–27 May 20252,000Online3420219103313
23–26 May 20251,011Online322221129–410
19–21 May 20251,000Online362020894216
5–13 May 20252,000Online342221993212
28 Apr–6 May 20252,000Online3321211093312
18–29 Apr 20252,000Online3322211092311
14–22 Apr 20252,000Online3422201093212
14–16 Apr 20251,000Online342022993312
14–15 Apr 20252,000Online3421201093313
7–15 Apr 20252,000Online3421201093313
4–9 Apr 20251,042Online322321119229
31 Mar–8 Apr 20252,000Online3321211083412
24 Mar–1 Apr 20252,000Online3421201083413
17–25 Mar 20252,000Online3421201192313
17–18 Mar 20252,000Online3322211282211
3–11 Mar 20252,000Online3321211193212
5–7 Mar 2025829Online + CAPI3221211293211
24 Feb–4 Mar 20252,000Online3420211193213
24–26 Feb 20251,000Online34202399–511
24–25 Feb 20252,000Online3519211193214
17–18 Feb 2025941Online34192113102113
17–18 Feb 20252,000Online34182211103212
13–15 Feb 20251,250Online33192211103211
13–14 Feb 20251,001Online3519221093313
10–11 Feb 20252,000Online33192310103210
3–4 Feb 20252,000Online3419229103312
27–28 Jan 20252,000Online3419221093312
13–21 Jan 20252,000Online3518211293214
13–15 Jan 20251,000Online352020118–615
13–14 Jan 20252,000Online3817191293219
7–8 Jan 20251,000Online39171910103220
3–4 Jan 20251,250Online3721191183116
2024 legislative election29 Sep 2024––28.826.321.19.18.22.44.02.5

2024

Polling firmFieldwork dateSample
size		MethodOthersLead
Polling firmFieldwork dateSample
size		MethodLead
17–18 Dec 20241,250Online3721201083116
16–17 Dec 20242,000Online3620191083416
13–17 Dec 2024809Online + CAPI3522201083213
9–10 Dec 20242,000Online3621191083315
2–4 Dec 2024800Online + Phone3520211282214
2–4 Dec 20241,004Online342120983513
2–3 Dec 20242,000Online3520191184315
25–26 Nov 20242,000Online3321191184412
25–26 Nov 20241,018Online322420127–58
18–19 Nov 20242,000Online322320108349
11–13 Nov 20241,000Online322221982610
11–12 Nov 20242,000Online332321983310
4–5 Nov 20242,000Online342321983211
28–29 Oct 20242,000Online3323211083210
25–28 Oct 20241,008Online322520108237
21–22 Oct 20242,000Online3323191184210
14–15 Oct 20242,000Online322519108337
7–8 Oct 20242,000Online332619107237
30 Sep – 1 Oct 20242,000Online302520118245
2024 legislative election29 Sep 2024––28.826.321.19.18.22.44.02.5