List of Federal Presidents of Austria
| Federal President (BundesprÃÂäsident) | Born-Died | From-To
|
|---|---|---|
| Karl Seitz | 1869 - 1950 | 1918 - 1920
|
| Michael Hainisch | 1858 - 1940 | 1920 - 1928
|
| Wilhelm Miklas | 1872 - 1956 | 1928 - 1938
|
| Karl Renner | 1870 - 1950 | 1945 - 1950
|
| Theodor KÃÂörner | 1873 - 1957 | 1951 - 1957
|
| Adolf SchÃÂärf | 1890 - 1965 | 1957 - 1965
|
| Franz Jonas | 1899 - 1974 | 1965 - 1974
|
| Rudolf KirchschlÃÂäger | 1915 - 2000 | 1974 - 1986
|
| Kurt Waldheim | 1918 - | 1986 - 1992
|
| Thomas Klestil | 1932 - | 1992 - 2004 |
The two candidates for the 2004 election are Heinz Fischer (supported by the SPÃÂÃÂ) and Benita Ferrero-Waldner (supported by the ÃÂÃÂVP).
The first head of state was elected by the Bundesversammlung (parliament plus federal council). The most important assignment of the Bundesversammlung was the election of the president.
In 1920 the period of office for the president was set to 4years, with one optional re-election. In 1929 a novellation extended the period of office to 6 years. In addition to that, the president should from now on be elected directly by the citizens. During the Ständestaat from 1934 to 1938 president Miklas stayed in office without further elections.
The allied council did not accept a novellation in 1945, which was meant to restore the version of 1929. That is why the first president of the second republic was not elected directly, but instead again by the Bundesversammlung.
In 1951 the president was directly elected by the citizens for the first time in the country's history. The following table shows Austria's presidents from this point up to now:
More Information
First Republic (1918 to 1934)
Second Republic (1945 to now)