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The Federal Council (german: Bundesrat, ) is the upper house of the Austrian Parliament, representing the nine
States of Austria Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states (German: ''Länder''). Since ''Land'' is also the German word for "country", the term ''Bundesländer'' (literally ''federal states'') is often used instead to avoid ambiguity. The Constituti ...
at the federal level. As part of a
bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single gr ...
legislature alongside of the National Council, it can be compared with an
upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...
or a senate. In fact, however, it is far less powerful than the National Council: although it has to approve every new law decided for by this lower chamber, the latter can—in most cases—overrule the Federal Council's refusal to approve. The ''Bundesrat'' has its seat at the
Austrian Parliament Building The Austrian Parliament Building (german: Parlamentsgebäude, colloquially ''das Parlament'') in Vienna is where the two houses of the Austrian Parliament conduct their sessions. The building is located on the '' Ringstraße'' boulevard in the ...
in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
, in a conclave of the former '' Herrenhaus'' chamber of the Imperial Council (''Reichsrat''). During a major renovation of the Parliament Building the Federal Council meets in the
Hofburg The Hofburg is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty. Located in the centre of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century and expanded several times afterwards. It also served as the imperial winter residence, as Schönbrun ...
.


Role

As the Constitution of Austria (B-VG) draws a strict distinction between federal and state legislation, its Article 42 provides the ''Bundesrat'' only with the right to
veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
federal laws passed by the National Council. Moreover, in most cases a Federal Council's veto is just suspensive, meaning the National Council can override it, passing the law again by ordinary resolution of at least half of its members. Therefore, the decisions of the ''Bundesrat'' can only delay legislation. In the following cases, though, the Federal Council's approval is mandatory: * Constitutional laws or regulations limiting the competencies of the federal states * Laws relating to the rights of the Federal Council itself * Treaties concerning the jurisdiction of the federal states. Since its inauguration on 10 November 1920, the deputies of ''Bundesrat'' have never achieved the status of a counterbalance in relation to the National Council. Over the decades the role of the Federal Council as a mere adjunct of the Austrian parliament has led to several discussions upon regulatory reforms, towards an actual representation of the states' governments modeled on the German Bundesrat or the complete abolition of the second chamber. So far, the concept has been maintained as a manifestation of Austria's
federal system Federalism is a combined or compound mode of government that combines a general government (the central or "federal" government) with regional governments (provincial, state, cantonal, territorial, or other sub-unit governments) in a single p ...
. The Federal Council and the National Council, if in joint session, form a third parliamentary body: the Federal Assembly that convenes for the
oath of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Suc ...
of the
President of Austria The president of Austria (german: Bundespräsident der Republik Österreich) is the head of state of the Republic of Austria. Though theoretically entrusted with great power by the Constitution, in practice the president is largely a ceremonial ...
.


Composition

The 61 members of the Federal Council (''Mitglieder des Bundesrats'', colloquially called ''Bundesräte'') are elected according to
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
by each of the Austrian states' legislatures (''
Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non ...
e'') for 5- to 6-year terms. The composition of the ''Bundesrat'' therefore changes after every state election and the distribution of seats in the Austrian Landtage. The second largest faction of the particular ''Landtag'' has the right to designate at least one deputy. The number of representatives delegated by each ''Bundesland'' ranges between three and twelve, depending on its population as ascertained by a regular census; it is fixed per presidential decree. The deputies may ally along party lines and form parliamentary groups, which have to meet a quorum of five seats, if not admitted by particular resolution. Currently the MPs of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and the GREENS form political groups in the ''Bundesrat.'' Although there is a NEOS member, political groups require 5 members: The President of the Federal Council is nominated by the largest party of each state in half-yearly intervals.


Presidency


Presidium

The Federal Council is made up of a
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
(elected for a term of half a year) and 2 vice-presidents.


See also

* Federal Assembly (Austria) * Politics of Austria * National Council (Austria)


Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Federal Council Of Austria
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
Politics of Austria Austrian Parliament