1920: First General Election
On February 16, 1919, the first election took place in German Austria, whereby women were also allowed to vote for the first time. Elections were held for the Constitutional Assembly, and the Social Democrats (40.77%) emerged as the strongest parliamentary group ahead of the Christian Socialists (35.93%). The coalition government passed the Habsburg Law, a whole series of exemplary social laws and, as a last measure, the new constitution. It also had to ratify the peace treaty of Saint-Germain.
The first general election of the Austrian Republic subsequently took place on October 17, 1920. In Carinthia, the election was held in 1921 – the plebiscite had been on October 10, 1920 – and resulted in a majority of the population voting to remain in Austria. Burgenland, which only became a part of the Republic in November 1921, voted in 1922. Winners of the election were the Christian Socialists, who gained almost 6%, while the Social Democrats lost almost 5%. They withdrew from the coalition government and remained in opposition throughout the First Republic.
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