AustriaDemokratie 63 · Democracy and the Republic's core principles
How can the National Council (Nationalrat) check the work of the federal government?
In the exam (German)
Wie kann der Nationalrat die Arbeit der Bundesregierung kontrollieren?
- aMembers of parliament can ask the ministers questions, which the ministers must answer.Abgeordnete können den Ministerinnen und Ministern Fragen stellen, auf die diese antworten müssen.Correct answer
- bThe National Council can overturn court judgments if they harm the government.Der Nationalrat kann Urteile von Gerichten aufheben, wenn sie der Regierung schaden.
- cThe National Council can set up a committee of inquiry to examine possible wrongdoing.Der Nationalrat kann einen Untersuchungsausschuss einsetzen, der mögliche Missstände prüft.Correct answer
- dThe National Council runs the ministries itself and gives civil servants direct instructions.Der Nationalrat leitet die Ministerien selbst und gibt den Beamten direkt Anweisungen.
Why?
Parliament checks the government: members of parliament can put written and oral questions to the members of the government, who must answer or explain why they do not. A committee of inquiry (Untersuchungsausschuss) clarifies political responsibility for events in the administration; just a quarter of the members of parliament can demand one.
Translated with AI. In the exam the question is in German, as shown above.
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Correct answer:The Vice-Chancellor
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Source
Our own practice questions on the content of the official learning material “Mein Österreich” and the federal states’ learning materials. They are not the real exam questions – those are not published – and we have not copied wording from the materials. Every question was answered a second time, independently, and checked against public sources. The English translation and the explanations were made with AI; in the exam the questions are asked in German. Not an official service: no connection with the Federal Ministry of the Interior or the offices of the state governments.
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