Proporz
Proporz (German:
Much of the system has been dismantled over time, particularly since the 1990s. While in 1999 all but one of the nine
Origins
After the re-establishment of Austrian independence in 1945, there was a great desire to avoid the ideological factionalism that characterised the First Austrian Republic (1919–1934).[3] The divide between the socialists on the left and Catholic conservatives on the right ultimately led to the Austrian Civil War and ensuing Austrofascist dictatorship, which ended after Austria's annexation by Nazi Germany.
This was exacerbated by the need for reconstruction in the wake of the
Development
Federal level
The federal grand coalition was renewed after every election until 1966. During the ensuing 21 years, an elaborate system was set up throughout the political and public service, in which partisan officials were appointed in an attempt to give approximately equal influence to both the ÖVP and SPÖ. Within the federal cabinet,
In 1949, Proporz was expanded to include the senior management of nationalized industry. After the success of the right-wing Federation of Independents in the 1949 election, the government sought to limit its influence by applying Proporz at all levels of administration. This included the Austrian "social partnership", in which workers, farmers, and employers are represented in government by four elected bodies. The SPÖ headed the Chamber of Labour and Austrian Trade Union Federation, while the ÖVP headed the Austrian Economic Chamber and Chamber of Agriculture.
From 1958 onwards, the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) was headed by four officials – two from each party – with the ÖVP having responsibility for radio and the SPÖ for television, which at this stage was in its infancy. After the importance of television became clear, the parties began to wrestle for influence. This was resolved by a secret agreement made during negotiations for the second Gorbach government, in which the parties agreed that every senior position in radio and television be shared between a director from one party and deputy director from the other. After the agreement was leaked to the Kurier, the newspaper began a petition for a referendum to remove political influence over the ORF.[3] The requirement of 200,000 signatures was overwhelmingly exceeded, with 832,353 received between 5 and 12 October 1964. However, the bill for the referendum never made it beyond committee in the National Council because the governing parties, which headed the committees, feared losing influence.[4] A bill scrapping the ORF's Proporz arrangement was ultimately passed during the single-party ÖVP government of Josef Klaus in 1966, and came into effect in 1967.
Proporz, particularly the concept of consensus government, did not fade after the end of the first period of grand coalition. During the SPÖ majority governments of Bruno Kreisky in the 1970s and 80s, the ÖVP was frequently consulted regarding government decisions and legislation; as such, the opposition was never truly shut out of decision-making.
State level
Proporz was written into the constitutions of most of the federal states in the 1940s. This particular implementation automatically entitled parties to cabinet positions if they won enough votes in state elections; in essence,
Initially, this model effectively guaranteed the ÖVP and SPÖ joint dominance over state governments, as other parties were typically too small to win any more than one cabinet position. However, the rise in popularity of the
Municipal level
Most cities' statutes still provide for Proporz in city council positions, much the same as on the state level. Graz, Linz, Salzburg, and Wiener Neustadt all have such regulations, and thus city councillors from the opposition.[1]
Criticism
Critics of Proporz characterised it as a form of
Legacy
During Austria's first annual word of the year selection in 1999, the jury was tasked with choosing a "word of the century". They were unable to come to a decision, and instead chose Proporz as "word of the half-century". They stated "it has shaped Austrian politics and social life like no other term since 1945", and represents "the exact opposite dynamic than existed previously in political life".[11]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Austria's state constitutions: Proporz and opposition". Der Standard. 28 October 2015.
- ^ a b Riedlsperger, Max (5 May 1995). "Die Freiheitlichen: a comparative study of the Austrian and U.S. Political Landscapes". Archived from the original on 17 September 2006. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Proporz". Demokratiezentrum.org. February 2006.
- ISBN 978-3-205-77239-2, pp. 65ff.
- ^ "Styria abolishes Proporz". ORF. 30 June 2011.
- ^ "Proporz has been abolished". ORF. 11 December 2014.
- ^ "New state constitution adopted". ORF. 1 June 2017.
- ^ Ernst Hanisch: Austrian History 1890-1990 Vienna, 1994
- ISBN 3-492-01782-7
- ^ Gustav E. Kafka, Graz: The constitutional position of the parties in the modern state - 2nd report, in: Association of German Criminal Law Teachers: Publications Constitutional Law Teachers 17 2ae - Conference on October 8, 1958 at the university Vienna, p. 89
- ^ "Jhdwort". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.