National CouncilParliament

The National Council (Nationalrat) is the dominant lower chamber of Austria's bicameral Parliament. It holds primary legislative authority at the federal level, passing federal laws, voting on the federal budget, and exercising oversight over the federal government through votes of no confidence. Established under the Federal Constitutional Law of 1920, the institution was suspended during the Austro-fascist Ständestaat and Nazi rule before being restored in 1945.