New direct democracy group in Austria
In January 2006 a new group was founded to promote the idea of direct democracy in Austria. It is independent from any political party. They have started a website. The first action will be an open letter to the National Council of Austria calling for more direct democracy.
In addition, the initiative emphasizes the importance of free access to media.
Contact
Initiative für mehr direkte Demokratie Österreich
Christine Nagel
Beethovenstrasse 3/5
8010 Graz
Tel: +43 664 9524506
Email: kontakt (at) mehr-demokratie.at
Direct Democracy in Austria
The sole direct-democratic tools contained in the Austrian constitution are the popular proposal (known as the “Volksbegehren”) to parliament and an obligatory referendum when there is a total revision of the constitution. To date there have been two referendums: in 1978 on the start-up of the Zwentendorf nuclear power station (rejected) and in 1994 on Austria’s accession to the EU (accepted). Since 1963, 31 often very widely supported “Volksbegehren” have been submitted to parliament, from which one can guess at the majority wish of the citizens for a real popular initiative. There is a clear need to improve the existing political system with more direct democracy.
from: IRI Europe: Guidebook to Direct Democracy. In Switzerland and Beyond. Amsterdam 2005
Paper on Direct Democracy in Austria
Mehr Demokratie has published a paper on the effects of the popular proposal (“Volksbegehren”) in Austria.
Download (pdf, 202 kB, only available in German)
