Cisleithanian legislative election, 1897

Austria-Hungary
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Austria-Hungary
Compromise of 1867
Government Dual Monarchy Foreign Ministry Foreign Minister Foreign Service Foreign Diplomacy
Cisleithania Emperor of Austria (List) Crown of Saint Wenceslas Imperial Council House of Lords House of Representatives Minister-President
Transleithania King of Hungary (List) Crown of Saint Stephen Royal Diet House of Magnates House of Representatives Prime Minister
Subdivisions Cisleithania Austria above the Enns Austria below the Enns Bohemia Bukovina Carinthia Carniola Cracow Dalmatia Galicia and Lodomeria Gorizia and Gradisca Istria Moravia Salzburg Silesia Styria Trieste Tyrol Vorarlberg Transleithania Croatia (until 1868) Croatia-Slavonia (from 1868) Fiume Hungary Slavonia (until 1868) Military Frontier (until 1882) Condominium Bosnia and Herzegovina
Related Settlement of 1868 Treaty of Berlin Bosnian Crisis Treaty of Saint-Germain Treaty of Trianon United States of Greater Austria
Other countries Atlas

Legislative elections to elect the members of the ninth Imperial Council were held in Cisleithania, the northern and western ("Austrian") crown lands of Austria-Hungary, in March 1897. These elections were first in Cisleithania held under the curial system with universal, but still not equal, suffrage.^[1]

Badeni electoral reform

Count Kasimir Felix Badeni had led the Cisleithanian government since 1895. In February 1896, the government submitted a proposal for fundamental reform of the electoral system. The so-called Badeni electoral reform kept the curial electoral system, but in addition to four existing curiae (landowners, trade and industry chambers, large and medium farmers, and male city residents who were annually paying at least 10 guilders of taxes), the fifth, general curiae, was added. While voting rights were limited in the four original curiae (fiscally defined, therefore, allowing voting to only those who have paid taxes on prescribed minimum amount), the fifth curia included all men older than 24. In May 1896, Badeni electoral reform was approved by the Imperial Council.^[2]

Results

Voting took place in several stages during March 1897, with the last elections being held in the fifth curiae on March 12, 1897.^[3]

The elections significantly changed relations in the Imperial Council, with a strong trend in the degradation of the original dominant German Progressive Party being set. This trend went in favor of the newly founded German People's Party and the Christian Social Party. The elections also brought a further fragmentation of the political scene; the three strongest parliamentary clubs (Young Czechs, Polish Club, and German Progressive Party) had only 168 seats, and the new Imperial Council had 17 parliamentary clubs. Meanwhile, the Social Democrats were still weakening, winning only 15 seats.^[4]

Seats

In May 1897, the Imperial Council had 16 political groups and individual parties:

Aftermath

After the elections, Badeni tried to negotiate with the aim of creating a stable pro-government parliamentary majority. However, he did not consider the German Progressive Party or the radical nationalist Pan-German League, but preferred to try to gain support among conservative German-Austrian politicians, including the liberal German Constitutional Party. After the German Constitutional Party refused to give support to the minority government, Badeni announced on April 2, 1897 that his government would resign, but did not go through with the resignation. Meanwhile, negotiations on forming a government continued. On April 4, a framework agreement was set, effectively restoring the conservative so-called Iron Circle from the 1880s, which consisted of the German Catholic People's Party, the Young Czech Party, the Polish club and the Czech Party of Conservative Landowners. Badeni remained Prime Minister. However, the government did not last long as Badeni resigned on November 28, 1897 under the pressure from the German nationalists over the language regulations.^[5]

References

Elections in Austria-Hungary
Cisleithania 1848 1867 1871–72 1873 1879 1885 1891 1897 1900–01 1907 1911
Transleithania 1848 1861 1865 1869 1872 1875 1878 1881 1884 1887 1892 1896 1901 1905 1906 1910
Croatia-Slavonia 1865 1867 1871 1872 1878 1881 1883 1884 1887 1892 1897 1901 1906 1908 1910 1911 1913 Dalmatia 1861 1864 1867 1870 1876 1883 1889 1895 1901 1908

Elections and referendums in Austria
As Cisleithania (1848–1918) Imperial Council elections 1848 1867 1871–72 1873 1879 1885 1891 1897 1900–01 1907 1911
Republic of Austria (1918–present) Parliamentary elections 1919 1920 1923 1927 1930 1945 1949 1953 1956 1959 1962 1966 1970 1971 1975 1979 1983 1986 1990 1994 1995 1999 2002 2006 2008 2013 next Presidential elections 1951 1957 1963 1965 1971 1974 1980 1986 1992 1998 2004 2010 2016 European elections 1996 1999 2004 2009 2014 Referendums 1938 1978 1994 2013