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This may in the Republic of North Macedonia presidential- and parliamentary elections took place. The EPP-party VMRO-DPMNE could celebrate an outstanding victory in both elections. The president of VMRO-DPMNE Hristijan Mickoski becomes new primeminister and Gordana Siljanovska Davkova was elected as first woman as president of the country. The main topics of the elections were the dysfunctionality of the state, corruption and the dramatic situation in the healthcare and education system. The EU accession was not an important topic during the electoral campaigns. The ruling social democrats suffered a devastating defeat. The future government will be coalition of VMRO-DPMNE, Albania opposition alliance and the small party ZNAM of former social democrats. The new government will face a lot of challenges in the country but also on international level. The unsolved identity issues with Bulgaria and new discussions about the Prespes-agreement may continue to obstacle the path towards EU. The new government has to act wisely and less emotionally. Indeed at the moment there are more opposite moves. Domestically the new government will focus on economic development and attract foreign investments.
The primaries on June 30 marked the beginning of an intense campaign season leading up to the parliamentary and presidential elections in Uruguay this autumn. As anticipated, Alvaro Delgado secured a decisive victory in the Partido Nacional. However, the unexpected selection of Valeria Ripoll as his running mate sparked considerable discontent within the party. Meanwhile, the Partido Colorado witnessed a generational shift with the election of Andrés Ojeda. Although, the opposition left-wing Frente Amplio has started strongly with a united front, early signs of fractures are already apparent. The race in October promises to be thrilling.
After a decade under a military junta (2014-2019) and a military-dominated government (2019-2023), Thailand held a successful general election in May 2023. The results signaled a rejection of pro-military and conservative factions. The Pheu Thai Party (PTP), which came second in the election, formed a coalition government with eleven other parties, including conservative and military-aligned factions such as the United Thai Nation (UTN) led by former Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who had ousted a PTP government in the 2014 coup. Meanwhile, the election winner, the progressive and reform-oriented Move Forward Party (MFP), remains in opposition despite winning 14 million out of around 39 million votes nationwide, making it the largest faction in the National Assembly with 151 MPs. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and his ministers have emphasized Thailand’s commitment to democratic principles. However, in its annual report on political rights and civil liberties published in March 2024, Freedom House rated Thailand as only "partly free", giving the country a score of 36 out of 100.1 This Country Report presents Thailand’s challenges and efforts in pursuing democracy, human rights, and the rule of law since the 2023 government formation.
In the wake of the Indian parliamentary elections, a number of German media outlets saw the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) loss of its parliamentary majority as a victory for democracy and a sign of the Indian population's resistance to Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalism. Headlines included slogans such as: "India decides against Hindu nationalism and authoritarian tendencies” and “Democracy won instead of Modi”. But did the voters really turn against the Hindutva ideology of the BJP? Has the BJP overplayed its Hindu nationalist card? This article attempts to find answers to these questions and explain why the general election result was much more than a vote against Hindutva and perceived authoritarian tendencies.
The Conservative Party under the previous Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was the big loser of the election. They lost 251 parliamentary seats, and with a vote share of 24.7%, they will only be represented by 121 seats in the British House of Commons in the future. On the winning side, a clear picture emerged: the Labour Party gained 211 seats and, with a vote share of 33.7%, will form the government with a total of 412 seats. Other winners included the Liberal Democrats, who, with 72 seats and 12.2%, achieved their best result in over 100 years. The right-wing populist Reform UK also made a statement with 14.3% of the vote, although they received only five mandates due to the British first-past-the-post system. The new government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces enormous challenges in domestic and foreign policy. The British Conservatives must first deal with a personnel and strategic party reboot in the opposition.
The second round of voting in France ended with a surprise. The right-wing alliance of Rassemblement National (RN) and Les Républicains led by Eric Ciotti (LR) did not achieve an absolute or relative majority, as was expected based on the results of the first round of voting, but only came third. The electoral alliance New Popular Front (Nouveau Front Populaire) won over 180 seats. The second force in the National Assembly will be the presidential alliance of Ensemble. Although this electoral alliance led by Gabriel Attal lost almost 100 MPs, it managed to retain more than 160 MPs thanks to tactical voting by the so-called Republican Front. The Rassemblement National party, which was hoping for an absolute majority and the office of prime minister after the second round of voting, gained 50 seats but ended up with fewer than 150 MPs. President Macron's surprise dissolution of parliament was intended to force a clear majority, but it did not work. No political party has an absolute majority. The next few days will be characterised by negotiations on the appointment of the prime minister and the distribution of key posts in the National Assembly. The euphoria over the less successful performance of the Rassemblement National could soon be followed by disillusionment and could bring unstable times to France
Presidential elections are due to be held in Mauritania on June 29, 2024. Despite general expecta-tions that the incumbent President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani will be re-elected, political tension remains, including for partners in Europe. This is because Mauritania has gained in importance for the EU in recent years in the Sahel region, which is experiencing coups. The European Union has concluded security and migration cooperation agreements with the only democratically elected government in the Sahel region. The desert state therefore plays an important role as a connecting country between the countries of the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa.
The political climate in autumn 2023 is characterized by profound uncertainty and dissatisfaction. This study paints a picture of the mood in German society. It analyzes the political climate, attitudes to key political issues, the image of the parties, voting motives, the role of the AfD and draws conclusions for the future. In particular, it examines the question of what this mood means for democracy in Germany and to what extent it is linked to the rise of the AfD.
Der „Oscar“ für Lokaljournalistinnen und -journalisten
Population size has always played an important role in the rise of states to great powers. Now the populations of more and more countries around the world are shrinking and ageing. Does this herald a loss of power on the global stage, and does population growth go hand in hand with an increase in a country's importance? The analysis of economic, security policy and social factors in middle and great powers sheds light on the connections between demographic change, national strategies and the global power structure.
