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»

The Future of Progressive Politics

- 25. Mai 2012 - Having fulfilled their historic mission to build the welfare state, social democrats struggle to articulate a vision beyond the status quo. Where should they turn after the third way?  Ralf Fücks mehr»

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»

What is happening to Hungary?

- January 13, 2011 - Hungary was long considered a model for democracy in the former Eastern Bloc countries. It currently hits the headlines because of the controversial media laws and other moves by the national conservative Fidesz party, which endanger essential elements of the constitutional framework. By Peter Rauschenberger more»

The 2010 Myanmar elections

- January 4, 2011 - In November 2010 Myanmar went to the polls for the first time in 20 years. While the elections have been written off by the west and welcomed in Asia, the issues around this seminal event are far more complex on a closer look. This article will aim to shed some light on the background to the elections, what changes the new structure is likely to engender and what Myanmar’s main future challenges will be. By Marie Lall more»

What Role for the US Government?

- Much of the public is deaf to the claims of President Obama that poverty and unemployment levels would be worse without the injection of stimulus money by his administration which provided tax relief and income support for millions of Americans. By Nancy Alexander more»

Money Can't Buy Love or Democracy

- Many Americans have long seen campaign finance laws as the best hope for restoring democracy in the US and were glad to hear President Obama's pledge to work with the Congress to overturn the Supreme Court decision. But the political tides are not moving in favor of democracy.  Money can't buy love or democracy. By Nancy Alexander more»

The Class of 2009: Green Visions for Europe

- March 11, 2010 - To the surprise of many opinion pollsters and political commentators it became clear late in the evening of 7 June 2009 that the real winners in the European elections were the Greens.  They were the only political group in the European Parliament that had managed to increase their number of seats.  Few would have forecast this even a few days before. The European Union office of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung has invited eleven new Green Members of the European Parliament from five different countries to write about their ambitions for Europe.  What are the goals of the new Greens and how do they want to achieve them? more»

Hungarian Elections: New Green Party Achieves Unexpected Success, But so Does The Radical Right

- June 12, 2009 - The international relations coordinator of the new Hungarian Greens analyzes the countries results of the European Party Elections. The radical right Jobbik has risen, while the left is in disarray. The new green party surprisingly also won a seat. By Kristóf Szombati more»

2009 General Elections in India: The Bharatiya Janata Party and Its Prospects

- April 20, 2009 - After the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks many expected the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to benefit in the general elections. This was based on both the party’s emphasis on security and on the assumption that the attack would stir up anti-Muslim sentiments. By Sebastian Schwecke more»

South African Elections 2009

- April 9, 2009 - On April 22, 2009 general elections were held in South Africa. In the run-up the emergence of a ANC breakaway party had raised the stakes. Our dossier provides background information as well as updates.

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