Democracy

President Tayyip Erdogan's opponents say they will repair the damage done to human rights during his rule, promising a new era for democracy and freedoms if he loses power in an election on Sunday.

In other news, the new Hungarian chief of defence staff puts military boot in mouth; more evidence emerges that object found in Polish forest was indeed a Russian cruise missile; and Czechs unveil draft legislation aimed at tightening protection for victims of domestic violence.

The political parties that will be taking part in Wednesday's live televised debate have set so many terms in order to appear that they have rendered a true exchange of ideas and opinions almost impossible to achieve. 

The bar is and needs to be kept high when it comes to matters of democracy and how our democracy functions. Every move that relates to the electoral process, to the workings of the justice system and to other such weighty affairs needs to be executed cautiously, within institutional confines and with confidence.

Members of Ukrainian society in Switzerland protest in front of IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, 25 March 2023. EPA-EFE/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Greek Americans are one of the few ethnic communities in the United States that is honored every year by the American president in a ceremony at the White House like the one held on Wednesday.

US President Joe Biden noted that the Greek-US alliance has never been stronger in the annual proclamation of March 25th as Greek Independence Day. He said his country's founders had been inspired by ancient Athenian Democracy and extolled the contributions of Greek-Americans to the US economy, noting his own longstanding ties to the Greek-American community.

In other news, the new Czech president finds a note in Prague Castle saying 'I'm afraid there is no booze left'; the Polish media's responsibility in the suicide of a youth comes under the spotlight; a Hungarian parliamentary delegation visits Sweden and Finland to demand "more respect" before the country accedes to their NATO accession; and Slovakia's caretaker prime minister, Eduard Heger, fo

The quality of democracy in Greece recovered in 2022 after a decade of decline due the economic crisis, and despite the recent wiretapping case, according to the annual report of the Economist Intelligence Unit based on the Democracy Index.



In other news, Polish Leopard tanks are finally on their way to Ukraine; the second round of the Czech presidential race looks to be going Pavel's way; and a Slovak referendum on shortening the parliamentary term fails but the country will still get snap elections.