Austrian legislative election, 1999
- SPÖ: 65
- GREEN: 14
- Freedom Party: 52
- ÖVP: 52
The National Assembly elections on 3 October 1999, the 21st in the history of the Republic of Austria. Both the Social Democrats under Chancellor Viktor Klima and the ÖVP with its leading candidate Chancellor lost votes. While the Social Democrats, despite strong losses were able to maintain their place as the strongest party, the People's Party is the first example in history only the third place votes.
The second strongest force was the FPÖ of Jörg Haider, who sent Thomas Prinzhorn as a top candidate into the race and won votes and mandates. The fourth place went to the Greens Alexander Van der Bellen. The Liberal Forum Heide Schmidt failed due to the four- percent threshold and was no longer represented in the newly elected National Council.
Final result
N.k. = Not a candidate
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The coalition talks between the SPÖ and ÖVP failed on an extension of the existing intergovernmental cooperation since 1986. The ÖVP presented the claim to the Treasury, which the Social Democrats refused. As a result, the ÖVP has begun negotiations with the FPÖ. On 4 February 2000 led to the formation of the federal government Bowl I, the first black - blue government with Wolfgang bowl as the first ÖVP Chancellor since 1970. Bowl was the first Chancellor of the Second Republic, by vote of not second strongest of the strongest or party was made. Previously bowl had announced before the elections to go into opposition if the ÖVP fell to third place in favor of the voters.
The Cabinet of the black - blue coalition was sworn in only reluctantly by President Thomas Klestil. In addition, the FPÖ politician Thomas Prinzhorn and Hilmar Kabas not he accepted in advance of the formation of a government as a federal minister.
The Government of the FPÖ sparked strong protests from both at the diplomatic level as well as in parts of the Austrian population. In foreign policy, the new government was occupied with bilateral sanctions. The 14 EU member states limited contact with the Austrian government to the bare minimum, eight months later, these sanctions were lifted on the advice of a sent by the European Court of Human Rights three-member team of experts, however, again. Israel withdrew its ambassador from Vienna.
In Austria itself, there was a polarization of the electorate: While the poll numbers of the ruling coalition went up and many Austrians solidarity on the basis of outside political interference with the government, there has also been a almost two years ongoing protest movement against the ÖVP -FPÖ government. A few weeks after the government was formed several hundred thousand people in Vienna took to the streets to demonstrate against the new government.
After the formation of a government Viktor stepped back as climate SPÖ party chairman. Gusenbauer became his successor.