!!!Nationalrat

Nationalrat (National Council), main legislative body of the Federal 
Republic (succeeded the  Abgeordnetenhaus). The Nationalrat is elected 
for a legislative period of four years by the people through equal, 
direct, secret and personal vote according to the principles of the 
proportional voting system. Before the end of the legislative period 
the Nationalrat can dissolve itself through voting or can be dissolved 
by the  Federal President on the proposal of  Federal Government The 
Nationalrat resides permanently in Vienna, its sessions are open to 
the public unless the Nationalrat decides to proceed in closed 
session. Elections are regulated in the Federal Constitution and in 
the electoral regulations of the Nationalrat. Entitled to vote are all 
women and men who are Austrian citizens on the date set, who attained 
the age of 18 before January 1 of the election year or who have not 
been deprived of their voting privileges for certain court sentences. 
The persons entitled to vote have to be registered in the electoral 
register. Eligible for election are all men and women who are Austrian 
citizens on the day set and who attained the age of 19 before January 
1 of the same year (they can also be deprived of their eligibility due 
to court rulings). The federal territory is divided into 
geographically determined electoral districts (9 provincial electoral 
districts that correspond to the territory of the 9 federal 
provinces), which are divided up into 43 regional electoral districts. 
The number of seats in each electoral district is determined by the 
number of citizens (the number of citizens whose principal domicile is 
in the respective electoral district according to the final results of 
the latest population census in addition to the number of citizens 
living abroad who are registered in the electoral district on the day 
of the census). The process of determining the distribution of seats 
among the eligible parties is divided into three parts ( Electoral 
Law).

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The Nationalrat consists of the following organs: the plenary, the  
President of the Nationalrat, the minute-writers and the orderlies, 
the  Main Committee of the Nationalrat and its standing sub-committee, 
the committees and the parliamentary groups.

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Status of members: The Nationalrat has 183 members; their legal status 
commences on the first day of assembly of the newly elected 
Nationalrat and ends with its dissolution, with the declaration of 
loss of seat or the proof of invalidity of the elections by the 
Constitutional Court, death or renouncement. Distinguishing features 
of the special status of the members of the Nationalrat are the "free 
mandate" (i.e. they are not subject to any orders in the execution of 
their function, and "party discipline" is enforced customarily but is 
not legally enforceable),  Immunity and  Incompatibility.

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Competences of the Nationalrat: Its main competence is the legislative 
competence within the range of federal legislation (generally together 
with the  Bundesrat, assisted by the President and the Federal 
Chancellor). The passing of legislative acts requires a quorum 
(attendance and voting quorum). The democratic principle is put into 
practice through legislation by representatives elected by the people. 
Further competences of the Nationalrat are its participation in and 
supervision of the laws. Legal control includes the accusation of 
members of the  Federal Government or their representatives or of the 
President and the Vice President of the  Court of Audit or their 
representatives for culpable violation of the law at the  
Constitutional Court, and participation in bringing a charge against 
the Federal President. The Nationalrat is endowed with the following 
measures of political control: the  Interpellation, Right of, the 
right of resolution, the right of inquiry and the vote of no 
confidence against the federal government. Financial control includes 
the budget law, the approval of the federal financial accounts, and 
the auditing work of the Court of Audit and the  Ombudsman's office , 
which are also subsidiary organs of the Nationalrat according to their 
functions.


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