Austrian legislative election, 1962

• SPÖ: 76
• FPO: 8
• ÖVP: 81

The parliamentary elections on November 18, 1962 was the tenth in the history of Austria. Votes and mandate strongest party was the People's Party of Chancellor Alfons Gorbach. With slight losses, the SPÖ landed by Bruno Pitter man in second place. As a " third force " was also in 1962 the FPÖ argue with the former SS First Lieutenant Peter Friedrich as a leading candidate, but also suffered slight losses at the polls. The Communist Party continued to lose votes and reached for the second time after the period of National Socialism no reason mandate.

Were entitled to vote 4,805,351 people. The turnout was 92.73 percent ( 1959: 92.90 percent).

Background

After Julius Raab had resigned on 11 April 1961 as chancellor Alfons Gorbach became his successor. In the national election in 1962, he had to first ask the voters. During the election campaign, the ÖVP sat on anti-communism and took up the SPÖ to. On the ÖVP posters was an Austrian map to see which is surrounded to the east by barbed wire. "Land on the red border - Austria must not be red " could be read on the posters, which thus, the Social Democrats moved politically to the vicinity of the Eastern Bloc.

The Social Democratic Party warned on their election posters of a " autocracy " of the ÖVP. Dominating election slogan was " Do not blindly decide ," illustrated by a man, wearing the selfsame lettering on a white blindfold.

The FPÖ took up the subject of the election, the SPÖ and put on her election posters a man with a red blindfold dar. also in large letters was the word " Where to?" to read about it and something smaller the lettering " Black Red proportional dictatorship."

The Communist Party campaigned with balance between Eastern and Western powers. "Do not rush, but understanding ensures disarmament and peace ," was, as a slogan to read on the posters, which were printed with an image of John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev.

Final result

N.k. = Not a candidate

Follow

The grand coalition of ÖVP and SPÖ continued. The ÖVP presented with Alfons Gorbach continued the Chancellor. The federal government Gorbach II started on March 27, 1963 their work. On April 2, 1964, the federal government took over Klaus I.

The parties fought for influence with the initially underestimated ( red ) channels. In the coalition negotiations in 1963 a secret document was prepared, according to which each item was to occupy twice in radio and television: a red head and a black deputy, or vice versa. After the text Hugo Portisch, then editor of the Courier, had been leaked, he initiated the broadcast referendum, which was held in late 1964 under the next government. It was first implemented but only in 1966 under the ÖVP government alone Klaus I.