View source for 1945 Austrian legislative election

{{Short description|none}}
{{Infobox election
| country = Austria
| type = parliamentary
| previous_election = 1930 Austrian legislative election
| previous_year = 1930
| next_election = 1949 Austrian legislative election
| next_year = 1949
| seats_for_election = All 165 seats in the [[National Council of Austria]]
| majority_seats = 83
| election_date = 25 November 1945
| image_size = 130x130px

| image1 = Figl leopold 01b.jpg
| leader1 = [[Leopold Figl]]
| party1 = Austrian People's Party
| seats1 = 85
| popular_vote1 = 1,602,227 
| percentage1 = 49.80%

| image2 = Adolf_Sch%C3%A4rf_1961.jpg
| leader2 = [[Adolf Schärf]]
| party2 = Social Democratic Party of Austria 
| seats2 = 76
| popular_vote2 = 1,434,898 
| percentage2 = 44.60%

| image3 = Johann Koplenig auf dem VI. Parteitag der SED 1963.jpg
| leader3 = [[Johann Koplenig]]
| party3 = Communist Party of Austria
| seats3 = 4
| popular_vote3 = 174,257 
| percentage3 = 5.42%
| map_image = {{Switcher
| [[File:1945 Austrian legislative election - Results.svg|280px]]
| Results of the election, showing seats won by constituency and nationwide. Constituencies are shaded according to the first-place party.
| [[File:Austria 1945 election map largest party in state.png|280px]]
| Results of the election by states 
| default = 2
}}
| title = Chancellor
| before_election = [[Karl Renner]] <small>(Acting)</small>
| before_party = Social Democratic Party of Austria
| after_election = [[Leopold Figl]]
| after_party = Austrian People's Party
}}{{Politics of Austria}}

Parliamentary elections were held in [[Austria]] on 25 November 1945, the first after [[World War II]]. The elections were held according to the Austrian election law of 1929, with all citizens at least 21 years old eligible to vote,<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=e1ksAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AcsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1544,2170446 ''Herald Journal'' - 24 November 1945 (Google News)], retrieved 19 May 2010</ref> however former [[Nazism|Nazis]] were banned from voting, official sources putting their numbers at around 200,000.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0a0uAAAAIBAJ&sjid=B9wFAAAAIBAJ&dq=austria%20election%201945&pg=3987%2C3895913 ''Ottawa Citizen'' - 23 November 1945 (Google News)], retrieved 19 May 2010</ref>

The [[Austrian People's Party]], comprising elements of the prewar [[Christian Social Party (Austria)|Christian Social Party]] under the leadership of [[Leopold Figl]], won a decisive victory, receiving just under half of the vote and 85 of the 165 seats in the National Council. With an outright majority of two seats, the ÖVP could have governed alone. However, Figl retained the three-party [[grand coalition]] alongside the [[Social Democratic Party of Austria|Socialists]] and [[Communist Party of Austria|Communists]]. The Communists, who had been equally represented in the government of Figl's predecessor, Socialist [[Karl Renner]], since the end of the war, only received one cabinet post.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131226120614/http://www.bka.gv.at/site/5957/default.aspx Austrian Chancellors and Cabinets since 1945] Federal Chancellery of Austria</ref>

On 20 December 1945 the [[Federal Assembly of Austria|Federal Assembly]] unanimously elected incumbent [[Chancellor of Austria|Chancellor]] Renner as [[President of Austria|President]]. Renner swore in Figl as new chancellor on the same day.<ref>[http://hofburg.at/show_content2.php?s2id=14 President of Austria - Dr. Karl Renner] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514234431/http://www.hofburg.at/show_content2.php?s2id=14 |date=2011-05-14 }}, retrieved 19 May 2010</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=blksAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AcsEAAAAIBAJ&dq=austria%20figl&pg=2597%2C4478941 ''Herald Journal'' - 21 December 1945 (Google News)], retrieved 19 May 2010</ref>

The Communists won only four seats, which some blamed on the conduct of the [[Red Army]] in the [[Allied-occupied Austria|Soviet occupied zone of Austria]].<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7x8RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=55MDAAAAIBAJ&dq=austria%20election%201945&pg=5387%2C5490259 ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' - 27 November 1945 (Google News)], retrieved 19 May 2010</ref> This proved to be the beginning of a long decline for the Communists, though they stayed in the chamber until [[1959 Austrian legislative election|May 1959]].

==Results==
{{Election results
|party1=[[Austrian People's Party]]|votes1=1602227|seats1=85
|party2=[[Social Democratic Party of Austria|Socialist Party of Austria]]|votes2=1434898|seats2=76
|party3=[[Communist Party of Austria]]|votes3=174257|seats3=4
|party4=[[Democratic Party of Austria]]|votes4=5972|seats4=0
|invalid=35975
|electorate=3449605
|source=Nohlen & Stöver<ref>[[Dieter Nohlen]] & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', pp213–219 {{ISBN|978-3-8329-5609-7}}</ref>
|image=[[File:1945 Austrian Nationalrat.svg]]}}

=== Results by state ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;font-size:90%;line-height:16px"
|- style="height:40px;"
! style="width:100px;" rowspan="2"| [[States of Austria|State]]
! style="width:40px;"| [[Austrian People's Party|ÖVP]]
! style="width:40px;"| [[Social Democratic Party of Austria|SPÖ]]
! style="width:40px;"| [[Communist Party of Austria|KPÖ]]
! style="width:40px;"| [[Democratic Party of Austria|DPÖ]]
|-
! style="background:{{party color|Austrian People's Party}};"|
! style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Austria}};"|
! style="background:{{party color|Communist Party of Austria}};"|
! style="background:{{party color|Democratic Party of Austria}};"|
|-
| align=left| {{flag|Burgenland}} || bgcolor=#D9D9D9| '''{{Round|51.7295573492836|1}}''' || {{Round|45.0058745441506|1}} || {{Round|3.26456810656576|1}} || -
|-
| align=left| {{flag|Carinthia}} || {{Round|39.7353872219002|1}} || bgcolor=#F4C6C9| '''{{Round|48.8653083062107|1}}''' || {{Round|8.05541932319765|1}} || {{Round|3.34388514869143|1}}
|-
| align=left| {{flag|Lower Austria}} || bgcolor=#D9D9D9| '''{{Round|54.4860991079196|1}}''' || {{Round|40.3308191233092|1}} || {{Round|5.18308176877116|1}} || -
|-
| align=left| {{flag|Upper Austria}} || bgcolor=#D9D9D9| '''{{Round|59.0165901659017|1}}''' || {{Round|38.3472406152633|1}} || {{Round|2.63616921883505|1}} || -
|-
| align=left| {{flag|Salzburg}} || bgcolor=#D9D9D9| '''{{Round|56.616735044366|1}}''' || {{Round|39.5883026428776|1}} || {{Round|3.79496231275642|1}} || -
|-
| align=left| {{flag|Styria}} || bgcolor=#D9D9D9| '''{{Round|52.8839169856284|1}}''' || {{Round|41.7344715301184|1}} || {{Round|5.38161148425322|1}} || -
|-
| align=left| {{flag|Tyrol}} || bgcolor=#D9D9D9| '''{{Round|71.3145227566235|1}}''' || {{Round|26.4965626997482|1}} || {{Round|2.18891454362828|1}} || -
|-
| align=left| {{flag|Vorarlberg}} || bgcolor=#D9D9D9| '''{{Round|69.9166714722334|1}}''' || {{Round|27.6296061357477|1}} || {{Round|2.45372239201891|1}} || -
|-
| align=left| {{flag|Vienna}} || {{Round|34.5410491978892|1}} || bgcolor=#F4C6C9| '''{{Round|57.4285330056769|1}}''' || {{Round|8.03041779643386|1}} || -
|-
| colspan=10 bgcolor=lightgrey| 
|-
| align=left| {{flag|Austria}} || bgcolor=#D9D9D9| '''{{Round|49.80|1}}''' || {{Round|44.60|1}} || {{Round|5.42|1}} || {{Round|0.19|1}}
|- class=sortbottom
| colspan=10 align=left| Source: Institute for Social Research and Consulting (SORA)<ref>{{Citation |author1=Institute for Social Research and Consulting (SORA) |title=National election results Austria 1919 - 2017 (OA edition) |publisher=Austrian Social Science Data Archive (AUSSDA) |publication-date=2019-07-24 |language=de |doi=10.11587/EQUDAL |doi-access=free}}</ref>
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Austrian elections}}

[[Category:Legislative elections in Austria]]
[[Category:1945 elections in Europe|Austria]]
[[Category:1945 elections in Austria|Parliament]]
[[Category:November 1945 in Europe|Austria]]