Federal government (Austria)

See also: Federal government

The Federal government ( Bundesregierung ) is the Gouvernement of the République of Austria. It is composed of the federal chancellor ( Bundeskanzler ), of the vice-chancellor ( Vizekanzler ) and of the federal ministers ( Bundesministern ). It is a higher body, of collegial type, the administrative federal one.

The Government Gusenbauer, supported by a great coalition, is in function since the January 11th 2007.

The federal chancellor takes the presidency of the Federal government, but is only a Primus inter pares : it is on its proposal that the federal ministers are named and revoked by the federal president, but it cannot give them any directive. The federal ministers are, as well as the chancellor, of the higher bodies of the federal administration; they thus direct in an autonomous way the administrations placed under their responsibility.

The ministers can see themselves associating Secretaries of State ( Staatssekretäre ), with whom are delegates certain files. They are not members of the Government, but take part in its meetings without voting there.

The number, the designation and attributions of the ministerial wallets are establish by a law on the federal ministers ( Bundesministeriengesetz ). When a new government is named, it thus reproduces the stations of the precedent, until the law is amended; so of new wallets must be created, their future holders thus take the title of federal minister without wallet ( Bundesminister ohne Portefeuille ) until theirs is created. This distinguishes Austria from the many countries, like Germany, where it is the chief of the government which decides by lawful act of the title and competences of the members of the government.

The Government as a whole and each minister individually can be the subject of a vote of distrust on behalf of the National council.

List governments since 1945

* the FPÖ was replaced in the coalition by the BZÖ the April 17th 2005.

Origin of the text

External bonds

Bundeskanzleramt Österreich, site of the Chancellery

Composition of the Federal government

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