FREEDOM IN THE WORLD 2017 Austria 95 FREE /100 Political Rights 37 /40 Civil Liberties 58 /60 Global freedom statuses are calculated on a weighted scale. See the methodology. Overview Austria has a democratic system of government that guarantees both political rights and civil liberties. It is frequently governed by a grand coalition of the center-left Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) and the center-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖCP). In recent years, the political system has faced pressure from the Free Party of Austria (ÖVP), a rightwing populist party that openly entertains nationalist and xenophobic sentiments. Key Developments in 2016 • In December, Alexander Van der Bellen was elected president after a close and controversial election that featured a repeat of the run-off between Van der Bellen and FPÖ candidate Norbert Hofer. • The government further limited access to asylum seekers, introducing a ceiling for the number of people that can apply for asylum in Austria in one year. • Rightwing violence and race-based hate speech remained major concerns. Executive Summary Political debate in 2016 was dominated by the presidential election and refugee policies, the latter issue being at the forefront of conversation since the spike in the flow of asylum seekers to Europe in 2015. Following a number of previous moves to counter migration flows to the country, the government further restricted access to asylum seekers and introduced an annual cap of 35,000 for asylum applications—a limit that will be in effect as of 2017. A number of legislators announced intentions to try to reduce this cap even further. The Austrian presidential election was highly contested and divisive. Van der Bellen, the candidate of the Green Party, initially won the runoff against Hofer, the candidate of the FPÖ. The vote was later declared invalid, however, as the Constitutional Court established that there had been irregularities in the handling of postal ballots. A repeat of the runoff, held in December, confirmed the election of Van der Bellen. Civil Liberties D. Freedom of Expression and Belief E. Associational and Organizational Rights F. Rule of Law G. Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights This country report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2017. For background information on political rights and civil liberties in Austria, see Freedom in the World 2016. On Austria See all data, scores & information on this country or territory. See More Country Facts Global Freedom Score 93 /100 Free Other Years 2021 Be the first to know what's Email happening. Join the Freedom Subscribe House monthly newsletter ADDRESS GENERAL INQUIRIES [email protected] 1850 M St. NW Floor 11 Washington, DC 20036 PRESS & MEDIA (202) 296-5101 [email protected] @2021 FreedomHouse.