ABSTRACT
Institutional design makes Austria a classical party democracy, as the proper functioning of the institutions – from the electoral system to government at various levels of territorial organisation – requires cohesive political parties (Müller 2003). The parties, in particular the two that have dominated post-war politics – the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and the People’s Party (ÖVP) – have lived up to their role in running political institutions. Politics in Austria is indeed party politics. Yet the two traditional major parties have considerably expanded their role beyond that, penetrating the state (below the political level), the economy and civil society (Luther 1999), and they have built vast organisations enrolling and socialising large shares of citizens (Müller 1994). While the heyday of party influence outside what is the political realm in the narrow sense was in the first half of our period of observation, it is still a very relevant phenomenon. This omnipresence of the two major parties has evoked the criticism of their competitors, which, however, have eagerly adopted a similar approach to power whenever the occasion occurred. Given the relevance of party politics in Austria who leads these organisations is crucial. Studying party leadership selection therefore seems particularly relevant with regard to the Austrian case.
