The renaissance of roll-call votes in Austria's Second Republic

The roll-call vote (RCV) has a disastrous history in Austria, serving as an instrument of obstruction in the Monarchy (before 1918) and being associated with the end of democracy in Austria’s First Republic in 1933. The instrument fell into disregard in the first decades of the post-war Second Republic but has experienced a renaissance since the 1960s, particularly since the 1990s. The rules governing the use of RCVs have been revised in response to the practice of their use and the broader context of reforms to the standing orders. The chapter argues that RCVs are used strategically. In modern times, the purpose of usage is position-taking. In that vein, RCVs are mainly an instrument of the parliamentary opposition. The actual frequency of RCVs is contingent on the number of (opposition) parties which have access to the instrument. RCV usage increases with increasing ideological polarisation.