US elections: Democrats hoping to gain ground with overseas voting
In the lead-up to the US elections, the Democratic Party has been trying to increase voter turnout by courting citizens living abroad.
Democracy
Latest reporting and analysis on democracy.
European Parliament ‘dropping gender-balance rules to keep hard-right out of power’
The European Parliament is dropping rules on gender balance to prevent the hard-right from holding any position of power, three female MEPs have claimed.
Council of Europe commission report is a punch on the nose for Tusk’s justice minister
The Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe, has analysed the legal reforms being proposed by Polish justice minister Adam Bodnar, and has advised…
‘Stay Calm’: Strasbourg plenary ends in chaos after train locomotive ‘explodes’
The European Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg ended in chaos on October 10, with EP staff begging Eurocrats to "please stay calm" after a locomotive appeared…
EU pulls financial support from Georgia over ‘democratic backsliding’
The European Commission is pulling back €121 million in assistance for Georgia after the country voted for some laws the EU opposed.
American success traces back to its European roots, whether US patriots like it or not
In 2003, neoconservative thinker Robert Kagan published a book titled, "Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order.
AfD representatives most likely targets of political violence
More than half of all recorded physical attacks on politicians in Germany have been against those from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, newly released data…
Tusk calls it ‘militant democracy’ as he rejects and violates decisions by the courts
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has now made it official: he and his government are applying the principles of “militant democracy” to defend liberal democracy…
Thuringia’s Interior Minister wants to ban AfD after parliamentary chaos
The interior minister of Germany's state of Thuringia has called for banning the Alternative for Germany (AfD), after a tumultuous opening session of the state parliament.
German court rules teacher’s dismissal legal over ‘loyalty’ to constitution
A German court has upheld the dismissal of a trainee teacher for failing to prove her "loyalty" to the country's constitution.
Big apes, but not small humans, come under protection of Spanish law
The Spanish government is planning a law to give the “hominid family of primates” – that is, to you and me, big apes – protection from experimentation and…
All Irish parties must push for reunification, EPP’s Varadkar says
All parties in Ireland must promise to push actively for the reunification of the island, the country's former European People's Party-aligned Taoiseach (Prime Minister),…
EU policy on Iran ‘expected to get tougher’
Alejo Vidal-Quadras visited the Brussels Signal studio to discuss the report 'Europe’s Failed Policy Towards Iran'.
Meloni outlines plan to avoid ‘inevitable decline of the West’
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has outlined her plan to save the West from "inevitable decline" at the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards in New York.
Irish President accuses Israeli embassy of ‘leaking letter’ to Iranian counterpart
Irish President Michael D Higgins has claimed that a letter he wrote sending the incoming Iranian President "best wishes" was leaked by the Israeli embassy.
France’s new right-wing government faces immediate turmoil
France's new Prime Minister Michel Barnier has revealed the new government's political orientation.
European Parliament finds right-wing majority on Venezuela vote as ‘cordon sanitaire’ cracks
The first cracks in the European Parliament's "cordon sanitaire," the refusal to work with hard-right parties, appeared on September 19 after a vote on democracy…
German State TV said actor who turned against AfD during show was ‘ordinary citizen’
An amateur actor who underwent a radical change of heart regarding the hard-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) during a TV show was described as a "clerk"…
Meta bans Russian state media networks over ‘foreign interference’
Meta has announced it will bar Russian state media outlets including RT and Rossiya Segodnya from using its Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp services.
Tusk admits to legal shortcuts designed to reform judiciary ‘in order to avoid EU intervention’
Poland's PM Donald Tusk has admitted to taking legal "short cuts" in his battle to reform the country's judiciary.
Spaniards in Venezuela held over alleged ‘plot to murder’ President Maduro
Authorities in Venezuela have detained two Spanish nationals on charges of alleged “terrorism” and attempting to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro.
Greece to give homeowners incentives to ditch short-term rentals
The Greek Government has said it would give a three-year tax break to homeowners who converted their short-term rentals to long-term ones.
France’s Court of Audit slams Macron’s SNU over ‘chaotic management and underestimated costs’
The French Court of Audit has published a critical report on the Universal National Service (SNU), President Emmanuel Macron's civic-military programme, highlighting…
UK’s Farage tells government to ‘Have a go!’, over bid to ban second jobs for MPs
The UK's Labour Government has been accused by former arch-Brexiteer and now MP Nigel Farage of trying to bully him and a colleague and silence TV and radio outlet…
Elite are cracking down on free speech to stop true democracy
Although this might seem counterintuitive given the current political culture, but there is a realistic chance that voting for what the media calls the “far Right”…
Socialists threaten to reject Ursula von der Leyen’s EC team
Socialists in the European Parliament have warned they may withhold support for the next European Commission unless their key demands are addressed.
Tusk government proposes ‘self-criticism’ for Polish judges facing disciplinary proceedings
Justice minister Adam Bodnar and Prime Minister Donald Tusk have proposed that judges undertake a process of "self-criticism" as part of an assessment as to whether…
In Thuringia two ‘extremist’ parties took half the vote, so where is the centre now?
Every time a populist-Right party is elected, the headlines are predictable.
Peace requires strength, but also diplomacy
When Ronald Reagan ran for president of the United States in 1980, he put “peace through strength” at the heart of his foreign policy vision.
German bishop instructs Christians not to vote AfD ahead of regional elections
A senior bishop in Germany has again ordered Christians in the country not to vote for the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.