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| This article is part of a series on the |
| Politics of Austria |
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 Wöginger • Rendi-Wagner • Kickl • Maurer • Meinl-Reisinger • 
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A presidential election is scheduled to be held in Austria on 9 October 2022.[1] In case no candidate reaches a majority of valid votes cast, a runoff would be held on 6 November.[2] Incumbent Alexander Van der Bellen is eligible for one more term and is running for re-election.[3] About 6.4 million voting-age citizens will be eligible to vote.
Up until 2016, presidential elections were held during spring – but because the 2016 election runoff had to be repeated in December by Constitutional Court order, the date of the next election in 2022 was pushed back by about half a year as well. The exact date for the new election will be set by a joint parliamentary commission during spring/summer 2022 and the election must be held roughly three months after that date was set because of calendar reasons/deadlines.[4] There is no definitive date as to when the election can take place in 2022, the only requirement is that the President-elect has to be sworn in by 26 January 2023. However, it has never happened that Austrian elections were scheduled for Christmas or New Year (or during summer school holidays between early July and mid-September), which means that – according to media consensus – it will definitely happen in 2022, most likely during the fall. On 26 June 2022, the Austrian government announced that 9 October 2022 was selected as election day, with a runoff on 6 November 2022 if needed.
On 22 May 2022, President Alexander Van der Bellen announced his candidacy for re-election.[5] Opinion polls indicate high approval ratings for President Van der Bellen. A May 2022 survey showed that 63% of voters are satisfied or very satisfied with Van der Bellen's presidency.[6] Another poll at the end of May had his approval rating at 59%, with 34% disapproving.[7]
The two major parties, the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), traditionally refrain from challenging a popular incumbent president if they choose to seek re-election. Following President Van der Bellen's announcement to run for re-election on 22 May 2022, SPÖ announced that they will not run a candidate against him, instead they will actively endorse and support his campaign for re-election.[8] NEOS also announced on 22 May 2022 that they are endorsing and supporting Van der Bellen in his re-election effort.[9] The Green Party, of which Van der Bellen was a long-time leader, also endorsed Van der Bellen after his announcement to run for re-election.[10] While both the SPÖ and NEOS won't support Van der Bellen financially, the Green Party will also support him financially with at least 500.000€ in campaign money.
On 23 May 2022, the governing party ÖVP announced that they will not run a candidate on their own, but did not endorse the candidacy of Van der Bellen for re-election, instead wishing him "all the best". The Governor of Tyrol though, Günther Platter, endorsed Van der Bellen.[11]
The opposition party Freedom Party of Austria announced at an early stage that they will definitely run a candidate against Van der Bellen, while the new party MFG said they are thinking about a candidacy against him. In June 2022, MFG party leader Michael Brunner announced his candidacy for President.
The President of Austria is directly elected by universal adult suffrage once every six years. The election is held under a two-round system; if no candidate receives more than 50% of valid votes cast in the first round, then a second ballot occurs in which only those two candidates who received the greatest number of votes in the first round may stand.[4] The constitution grants the president the power to appoint the Chancellor and, by extension, federal cabinet ministers, Supreme Court justices, military officers, and most major bureaucrats. The president may dissolve the National Council. In practice, however, the president acts as a figurehead.
Austrian citizens who have reached the age of 16 by the end of the day of the election and who are not excluded from voting by a judicial conviction are entitled to vote. For the right to stand for election, the completion of the 35th year is required. As a prerequisite for running as a candidate for Federal President, at least 6.000 declarations of support (= valid signatures of eligible voters) must be submitted to the federal electoral authority set up at the Ministry of the Interior together with the formal candidate declaration. At the same time, a candidate fee of 3.600 € must be paid. The last deadline for submission is the 37th day before the election day at 17:00.
Officially declared candidates include:[12]
President of the National Council Wolfgang Sobotka of the ÖVP has ruled out running.[22]
The SPÖ was previously undecided about whether they should run a candidate.[23] In November 2020, federal chairwoman Pamela Rendi-Wagner stressed that a decision had not been made, but noted that the SPÖ has never challenged an incumbent president. She also ruled out running herself.[24] Second President of the National Council Doris Bures and Mayor of Vienna Michael Ludwig both stated that the party should support Van der Bellen if he chooses to run for a second term.[25][26] Tyrolean branch leader Georg Dornauer suggested that Bures herself should stand for election, even if Van der Bellen runs again.[27]
Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), who was runner-up to Van der Bellen in 2016, has made conflicting statements about his intention to seek the presidency for a second time. In 2018, he stated that he plans to run in 2022.[28] In 2020, he stated that he would not run if Van der Bellen sought re-election, but that he would if Rudolf Anschober was the Greens nominee.[29] Anschober himself subsequently ruled out running.[30] In February 2021, Hofer said it was "not unlikely" that he would run, and that he would make the decision a year in advance of the election.[31] After Hofer's resignation as party leader in June, he stated he was unsure whether he would run for president. His successor Herbert Kickl voiced his confidence that Hofer would still run, however.[32] On 13 May 2022, Hofer declared that he will not run for President in the fall.[33]
| Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample size |
Others/ None/ Undecided |
Lead | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van der Bellen | Hofer | Grosz | Wlazny | Fürst / Kickl | |||||
| Market-Lazarsfeld / ÖSTERREICH | 7–8 Jun 2022 | 1000 | 42 | – | 7 | 8 | 9 (Fürst) | 34 | 33 |
| Unique Research / Profil | 23–25 May 2022 | 500 | 46 | – | – | – | – | 23 (+31 Undecided) | 23 |
| Market / Der Standard | 23–25 May 2022 | 1000 | 56 | – | – | – | – | 27 (+17 Undecided) | 29 |
| Market-Lazarsfeld / ÖSTERREICH | 23–24 May 2022 | 1000 | 45 | – | 7 | 6 | 9 (Kickl) | 4 (+29 Undecided) | 36 |
| Market-Lazarsfeld / ÖSTERREICH | 16–19 May 2022 | 2000 | 42 | – | 9 | 4 | 9 (Kickl) | 7 (+29 Undecided) | 33 |
| IFDD / Puls 24 | 30 Apr–4 May 2022 | 1000 | 64 | – | 12.5 | 12.5 | 11 (Fürst) | – | 51.5 |
| IFDD / Puls 24 | 30 Apr–4 May 2022 | 1000 | 67 | – | 19 | 14 | – | – | 45 |
| Market / Der Standard | 23–28 Dec 2021 | 800 | 51 | – | – | – | – | 33 (+16 Undecided) | 18 |
| Hajek / ATV | 6 Dec 2020 | 814 | 50 | 17 | – | – | – | 33 | 33 |
