Lower Austria plans 24 events to promote democracy

Lower Austria will host 24 events in 15 municipalities from October 19 to 26 to encourage public participation and highlight the importance of democracy, ORF reports. The organisers say liberal democracy is under threat.

The events are part of a nationwide Democracy Week and are coordinated in Lower Austria by the #zusammenHaltNÖ initiative and Bündnis 2025, a civic alliance. They will include film screenings, discussion groups, cake stands in supermarket car parks, storytelling theatre and choral performances.

Social expert Michaela Moser said the events should help people see that their voices matter. Political scientist Gundi Dick said participation in local life, including speaking up and making decisions, is itself a form of democratic engagement.

Rainer Bauböck, a political scientist and migration researcher with Bündnis 2025, said democracy depends on the rule of law, a public sphere supported by independent public-service media, and an active civil society. He warned that right-wing populist parties attack these foundations and that authoritarian forces can destroy them when they come to power.

Samira Aibartueva, who is helping organise an event in Amstetten through the gscheckat association, said democracy also takes place in clubs, sports grounds, community events and everyday encounters between people with different backgrounds and views. Born in Austria to parents from Chechnya, she received a Chechen passport at birth and later became an Austrian citizen.