Austria’s Democracy Index Sinks for 4th Straight Year to 54.1 Percent
The annual Democracy Index, which grades how well the government and parliament defend liberal democracy, dropped one percentage point to 54.1%. Only 2019, when the figure bottomed out at 53.8%, was worse.
The index scores the country across seven pillars: Sovereign, Political Parties, Legislature, Executive, Judiciary, Media and Civil Society. Each pillar is divided into several chapters, and eight of the 16 chapters worsened this year.
The Judiciary took the hardest hit, plunging four percentage points from the prior year. The authors blame a shortage of permanent positions, substandard conditions in the penal and correctional systems, and the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office’s inadequate or absent implementation.
The Sovereign pillar also deteriorated, particularly on fundamental rights in general. The report points to a school headscarf ban for girls under 14 and overcrowded prisons, and it also flags weakening digital fundamental rights.
The Media pillar extended a slide that has lasted for years. Cited causes include the absence of a law against strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP), room for political influence over the state broadcaster, and mounting economic pressure across the media sector.
Organizers also pressed for greater transparency in parliament, especially around lawmakers’ income and financial interests.
“A resilient democracy needs politicians who transparently disclose whose interests they represent and how they vote,” said Marion Breitschopf of the NGO Meine Abgeordneten (My Representatives) in the study.
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