Democracy

Europeans still hope that Ukraine can win the current shocking war. Many also continue to hope that democracy will be a major reason why the Ukrainians will be victorious. I believe that ancient history can help us to decide whether such hopes are reasonable or unrealistic.

The composition of the new Parliament with a total of eight parties "creates many challenges for its new president", President Katerina Sakellaropoulou told the House Speaker at a meeting on Monday morning.

New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for a stable government for the next four years from the polling station in Kifissia, where he voted.

"Citizens and democracy are the focus today, it is a day of joy and responsibility. We are voting for the second time in just a few weeks so the country can have a stable and efficient government with a four-year horizon," he said.

Is it possible that by observing Greek politics from far away I can form a better point of view or is it the case that because of the distance I don't have a good picture? In any case, here is how I see Greek politics now.

With the formerly ascendant, Nazi-inspired Golden Dawn party broken, its leadership in prison, and the anti-Western left defanged, Greece's political fringes are looking more gauche than sinister.

Greece marks 50 years since the fall of the 1967-74 dictatorship and the restoration of democracy - a process known as the "Metapolitefsi" - next year. We will take stock of what has been accomplished and where we failed. It should also signal the close of a cycle.

In other news, Poland faces new EU infringement procedure over #LexTusk; Slovaks show greatest apathy for European elections; and Czech government delegations go dry on official flights after unseemly incident.

In other news, Hungarian troops are attacked in Kosovo as its army chief is accused of torture at home; Slovak political parties trade election conspiracies as campaign begins; and a mob of pensioners storm a Prague courtroom.

"The Kremlin's disinformation and interference in the internal affairs of Eastern European countries is a huge problem for all of Europe. Attempts at destabilization are made by activating local politicians and strengthening autocracy at the expense of democracy. All this is done with a single goal - to make Ukraine's victory more difficult and Europe to weaken".

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis insisted Tuesday that Greece will be able to regain investment grade with a strong New Democracy government and that his "his victory over populism in Greece" serves as a lesson "for other liberal democracies."

"If you deliver real change for people, people will reward you," he told CNN's Christiane Amanpour.