1949 Austrian legislative election

Parliamentary elections were held in Austria on 9 October 1949. About 500,000 registered Nazis, who were not allowed to vote in 1945, regained their voting rights. A newly created party, the Electoral Party of Independents (WdU) (a predecessor of the Freedom Party of Austria) specifically targeted this group of voters and immediately won a large share of votes.^[1] The Austrian People's Party remained strongest party, although losing their absolute majority of seats. Leopold Figl stayed as Chancellor, leading a coalition with the Socialist Party of Austria as junior partner.^[2]

1949 Austrian legislative election

← 1945 9 October 1949 1953 →
165 seats in the National Council of Austria 83 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Leopold Figl Adolf Schärf Party ÖVP SPÖ Last election 49.80%, 85 seats 44.60%, 76 seats Seats won 77 67 Seat change 8 9 Popular vote 1,846,581 1,623,524 Percentage 44.03% 38.71% Swing 5.77pp 5.91pp   Third party Fourth party   Leader Herbert Kraus Johann Koplenig Party VdU KPÖ Last election – 5.42%, 4 seats Seats won 16 5 Seat change New 1 Popular vote 489,273 213,066 Percentage 11.67% 5.08% Swing New 0.34pp
Results of the election, showing seats won by constituency and nationwide. Constituencies are shaded according to the first-place party.
Chancellor before election Leopold Figl ÖVP Elected Chancellor Leopold Figl ÖVP

Results

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Austrian People's Party	1,846,581	44.03	77	–8
	Socialist Party of Austria	1,623,524	38.71	67	–9
	Electoral Party of Independents	489,273	11.67	16	New
	Communist Party of Austria and Left Socialists	213,066	5.08	5	+1
	Democratic Union	12,059	0.29	0	New
	Fourth Party	7,134	0.17	0	New
	Democratic Front of the Working People	2,088	0.05	0	New
	Democratic Party of Austria	5	0.00	0	0
	Economic Party of House and Property Owners	3	0.00	0	New
	Austrian Patriotic Party	0	0.00	0	New
Total		4,193,733	100.00	165	0
Valid votes		4,193,733	98.66
Invalid/blank votes		56,883	1.34
Total votes		4,250,616	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		4,391,815	96.78
Source: Nohlen & Stöver[3]

References

1. The Development of Right-Wing Extremism After 1945 Documentation Archive of Austrian Resistance
2. Austrian Cabinets since 1945 Austrian Chancellery
3. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, pp213–219 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7