Austrian People's Party Facts for Kids

The current logo of the Austrian People's Party.

The Austrian People's Party (in German, Österreichische Volkspartei, often called ÖVP) is one of the largest parties in Austria. It was started in 1945, right after World War II. Its name means "Austrian People's Party."

The ÖVP has a lot of members, around 630,000 people. Its ideas are usually "center-right." This means they often have conservative views. Conservative ideas usually focus on keeping traditions and supporting businesses. Many people who vote for the ÖVP are Catholics. The party often disagrees with "moderate socialism," which is the main idea of another big party in Austria, the SPÖ.

Important politicians like former Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel and former Minister of the Interior Liese Prokop (who passed away in 2006) were members of this party.

Who Leads the Party?
How the Party Does in Elections
- National Council Elections
- European Parliament Elections
Images for kids
See Also

Who Leads the Party?

The Austrian People's Party has had many leaders since it began. Here are some of the people who have led the party:

Leopold Kunschak (1945-1945)
Leopold Figl (1945-1952)
Julius Raab (1952-1960)
Alfons Gorbach (1960-1963)
Josef Klaus (1963-1970)
Hermann Withalm (1970-1971)
Karl Schleinzer (1971-1975)
Josef Taus (1975-1979)
Alois Mock (1979-1989)
Josef Riegler (1989-1991)
Erhard Busek (1991-1995)
Wolfgang Schüssel (1995-2007)
Wilhelm Molterer (2007-2008)
Josef Pröll (2008-2011)
Michael Spindelegger (2011- 2014)
Reinhold Mitterlehner (2014 - 2017)
Sebastian Kurz (2017 -)

How the Party Does in Elections

The Austrian People's Party takes part in elections to choose who will represent the people. These elections happen for different parts of the government.

National Council Elections

The National Council is like the main parliament of Austria. It's where laws are made. The ÖVP has often done very well in these elections.

In 1945, they won the most votes and seats, helping to form the first government after the war.
For many years, they were either the biggest party or one of the top two. They often worked with the SPÖ to form a "grand coalition" government.
In 1966, they even won enough seats to form a government by themselves.
Later, they spent some time as the main opposition party, meaning they were not part of the government.
In 2002 and 2017, the ÖVP again became the party with the most votes and seats. This allowed them to lead the government, sometimes working with other parties like the FPÖ.

European Parliament Elections

The European Parliament is where representatives from different countries in Europe work together. Austria sends members to this parliament.

The ÖVP has also done well in elections for the European Parliament.
In 1996, they were the top party in Austria for these elections.
They have consistently won a good number of seats, usually between 5 and 7, to represent Austria in Europe.
They were the leading party in the 2009 and 2014 European Parliament elections in Austria.