Publications on the topic of “Democracy needs Participation” - Security – Innovation – Democracy
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Publications on the topic of “Democracy needs Participation”
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IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire
Trump 2.0 - The Political Comeback
A Clear Majority of Voters Has Given Donald Trump a Second Chance
According to most pollsters, the election result was expected to be close, but the predicted deadlock did not materialize. Donald Trump won the presidential election on November 5, 2024, surprisingly quickly and decisively. His “Make America Great Again” message resonated with an electorate that is not experiencing the economic upturn, is suffering from high price increases, and is fearful of foreign infiltration. Vice President Kamala Harris failed to convince a majority that she could credibly represent a new beginning despite her disciplined election campaign. The secret of Trump’s unexpected success lies in his ability to attract new voter groups for the Republicans by focusing on issues that are deeply concerning to these groups, as well as his truly unique way of communicating.
Dr. Hardy Ostry, Jan Bösche
November 7, 2024
Country reports
IMAGO / ABACAPRESS
France and the US election
"Strategic autonomy" remains France's goal
The outcome of the US election has far-reaching political and economic implications for France, forcing the country, which is itself experiencing a serious political crisis, to define its own role in the world and in Europe. This became clear in the run-up to the elections and was also commented on in initial reactions to the outcome. In the areas of trade and climate protection, but especially in the areas of security and defence, the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States is an incentive for France to strengthen its own and European independence in order to protect French and European interests. The call for European partners to develop a foreign and security policy that strengthens Europe and reduces dependence on America without jeopardising transatlantic cooperation remains the declared goal. Co-operation with Germany in particular is of crucial importance here.
Anja Czymmeck
November 7, 2024
Country reports
IMAGO / NurPhoto
GERB wins early parliamentary elections in Bulgaria once again
Difficult government formation expected
Parliamentary elections were last held in Bulgaria on June 9, 2024 at the same time as the European elections for the sixth time in just over three years, from which the EPP party "Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria" (GERB) emerged victorious. Bulgarians have now been called to the polls again on October 27, 2024 to determine the composition of the parliament (Narodno Sabranie), as the parties were unable to agree on a government after the last vote.
Norbert Beckmann-Dierkes, Borislaw Wankow
November 6, 2024
Country reports
IMAGO / Xinhua
Parliamentary elections in Uzbekistan
Votes for change or continuity?
Parliamentary elections were held in Uzbekistan on 27 October 2024. For the first time, the elections were held according to a new, mixed electoral system that includes elements of both majority and proportional representation.
André Algermißen, Abdulla Mamadjonov
October 30, 2024
Country reports
IMAGO / Xinhua
Parliamentary elections in Lithuania
Loss of power and leadership crisis of the Christian Democrats
After the second round of parliamentary elections in Lithuania, the picture is looking bleak for the Christian Democrats. Not only have they lost their seat in government, but they have also lost their party leader, Gabrielius Landsbergis, in addition to major cities such as Vilnius and Kaunas. After losing his constituency, he resigned from the party and is taking a break. The Social Democrats must now find a third coalition partner with the center-left party “Democrats for Lithuania”. This will not be easy for various reasons.
Fausta Simaityte, Oliver Morwinsky
October 30, 2024
Country reports
IMAGO / Scanpix
Special election operation in Georgia
A historic election in the South Caucasus is characterised by electoral fraud on a presumably historic scale
The Georgians are a creative nation, for better or for worse. The parliamentary elections on 26 October were an impressive illustration of this. At around 10 p.m., the Central Election Commission announced a result of 53% for the ruling Georgian Dream party, with the four opposition blocs accounting for a total of 38%. Exit polls had painted the opposite picture two hours earlier. Independent election observers, who documented and communicated numerous irregularities during the election day, are calling for the elections to be annulled. The president and the opposition declare that they will not accept the election results. The OSCE's preliminary statement is very critical of the general conditions but certifies that the elections were most widely conducted in a technically correct manner.
Stephan Malerius
October 29, 2024
Country reports
IMAGO / Tetra Images
Money Makes the Vote Go Round?
Campaign Finances in U.S. Elections
The election campaign in the USA is entering its final stretch. The success of a candidate is measured not only by polls but also by donations. Political parties in the USA rely on contributions from citizens and companies to support their efforts. This involves billions of dollars and significant influence, though not always success. The last election campaign in 2020 set a record: 14.4 billion US dollars were spent on presidential and congressional elections, twice as much as in 2016.
Dr. Hardy Ostry, Jan Bösche
October 29, 2024
Country reports
KAS-RP Parteiendialog und Demokratie
Everything open ahead of Uruguay's run-off election
Parliamentary and presidential elections in Latin America's model democratic country
On October 27, Uruguay held its presidential elections, alongside the renewal of the Senate and House of Representatives. The left-wing party Frente Amplio, led by candidate Yamandú Orsi, secured 43.9% of the votes, marking a significant increase from 2019. Álvaro Delgado, representing the conservative National Party, followed with a surprisingly strong 26.7%. Both candidates will face off in a runoff scheduled for November 24th.
Sebastian Grundberger, Jonathan Neu
October 29, 2024
Country reports
IMAGO / ANP
The first summit between the EU and GCC ends without breakthroughs
Strategic partnership with little results
On October 16, high-ranking government representatives from EU states and the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council met in Brussels. In the wake of a new strategic engagement with the Gulf states, which the EU had already initiated in 2022, the summit marked the first time in history that top politicians from both sides came together in this context. However, there were no major strategic successes to report at the end of the meeting. Rather, the summit once again revealed what ails Europe's Gulf policy in general: a lack of political courage to take concrete steps to raise relations between the two regions to a new level. It was fitting that a key EU member was completely absent from Brussels.
Philipp Dienstbier
October 25, 2024
Country reports
IMAGO / Xinhua
Indonesia's new president – an opportunity for Germany
Prabowo Subianto sworn in as President of Indonesia. New opportunities for Germany?
Indonesia has a new president. Eight months after his election victory, Prabowo Subianto was inaugurated into his new office on 20 October. In terms of domestic policy, the former general is in favour of continuing the policies of his predecessor Joko Widodo. In terms of foreign policy, however, he has announced a more active role for Indonesia. Prabowo made a name for himself during the election campaign as a fierce critic of the EU. At the same time, he is considered to have an affinity for Germany. German foreign policy will play a key role in Indonesian-European relations in the future.
