March 1, 2013 - After the split of Hungarians green party LMP, two parties and strategies have been developed for a consistent eco-policy. The prospects regarding the upcoming elections are not extremely rosy for either side.  Kornélia Magyar more»

Notes on the current phase of electoral reform in Hungary

- December 17, 2012 - After passing the Electoral Procedure Act, we are still far from knowing the final rules less than a year and a half ahead of the next parliamentary elections. However, the new electoral system turns out to be a measure of the governing party to increase its chances of winning the 2014 general election, while oppositional parties will be forced to organise their activist network and engage in a door-to-door campaign more effectively than before.  Róbert László more»

The Czech Greens after the Senate and Regional Elections

- November 9, 2012 - The Czech Greens (Strana zelených, SZ) were successful in the October 2012 Senate elections, and are now once again represented in the Czech parliament following their electoral defeat in 2010. Eva van de Rakt, Office Director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Prague, spoke with Czech Green Party Chairman Ondřej Liška. more»

Opposition in Hungary: Left-of-centre Co-operation - the Risky Imperative?

- October 29, 2012 - As expected, the 56th anniversary of the hungarian revolution occasioned a symbolic battle between the Prime Minister and his left-of-centre opposition, with both sides seeking to present themselves as the true heirs of 1956. Whereas Orbán and Fidesz clearly won the battle of numbers, the show was stolen by Gordon Bajnai, the former Prime Minister. Kristóf Szombati more»

Do Parliaments Matter? African Legislatures and the Advance of Democracy

- August 9, 2012 - The articles in this issue of Perspectives seek to reflect on the extent to which African legislatures have taken steps that mark their shift from being the “weakest link” of government to stronger, independent institutions. In essence, we ask – do African Parliaments really occupy the privileged position accorded to them in representational democracies? more»

The EU – A Maze of Acronyms?

- August 7, 2012 - They play a key role in Europe's democratic processes but for a majority of the population they resemble a black box: the European political parties. To fulfill their importance public awareness should be strengthened and it has to become clear that European elections are about European parties, not purely national ones. Annalena Baerbock more»

Democracy Needs Attention

- 8. August 2012 - Yet for several years Europe's academics and politicians have stressed the need for a European public as a basis for a vital European democracy - but how this public could be constituted remained unclear. The Europe-wide protests against ACTA showed: a European public has to emerge from above. Jan Philipp Albrecht mehr»

Could Viktor Orbán’s Dream Come True?

- June 14, 2012 - Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has projected fifteen to twenty years of governance in a “central political space”, rather than the customary shifts of power between left and right. In the elections 2010, Fidesz had the support of roughly half of all voters, and during its first half-year the new government enjoyed strong public approval. But since then the political landscape has changed dramatically. Peter Kreko more»

Israeli Social Protests: The Key To Changing Everything?

- August 15, 2011 -

For the first few weeks of the social protests in Israel the press happily dismissed everything else – Palestinians, Iran, September, democracy barely reached back pages of the papers. The question at stake is, will the movement ultimately be forced by its own goals to confront and possibly re-interpret critical issues such in light of the newfound empowerment and social consciousness?

Dahlia Scheindlin more»

Media Democracy, Hungarian Style

- January 17, 2011 - In other countries, the political control of the media is mainly effected through economic pressure. It seems that in Hungary this mechanism worked insufficiently, thus necessitating direct political control through legal means and a monopoly on the organs controlling the media. An article by Wolfgang Klotz more»

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