Democracy
Georgia’s Parliamentary Dispute Deepens as Opposition Challenges Democratic Legitimacy
Georgia’s political crisis has become a test of whether a country can retain the formal institutions of democracy while gradually weakening the conditions that make those institutions meaningful. The governing Georgian Dream party has continued…
Sweden Election Gives Centre-Left Narrow Lead as Europe’s Rightward Shift Meets Resistance
Sweden’s election has produced a narrow advantage for the centre-left opposition led by former prime minister Magdalena Andersson, potentially ending four years of conservative government supported by the right-wing Sweden Democrats. The result is particularly…
France Faces Another Political Crisis as Government Struggles to Control Debt
France is entering another difficult political autumn as its government struggles to reconcile two realities that increasingly seem incompatible: voters want the welfare and public services associated with the French social model, while the state…
Trump’s Fed Clash Reopens the Debate Over Central Bank Independence
Donald Trump’s confrontation with the Federal Reserve has become one of the most consequential institutional disputes of his second presidency. Trump has repeatedly attacked the Fed for keeping interest rates too high, arguing that monetary…
Philippines Election Tests Marcos as Duterte Alliance Collapses
The Philippines is approaching another major political confrontation as the alliance that brought Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte to power has effectively collapsed into open rivalry. Their partnership in 2022 was electorally formidable because…
Bangladesh Election Returns BNP to Power After Hasina Era
Bangladesh has completed one of the most consequential elections in its recent history, the first national vote since Sheikh Hasina was removed from power by the 2024 student-led uprising. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has…
Takaichi Wins Historic Supermajority in Japan Snap Election
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has converted personal popularity into one of the largest parliamentary victories in modern Japanese history. In today’s snap election, her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 316 of the 465 seats…
Myanmar Military-Backed Party Sweeps Election Held Amid Civil War
Myanmar’s first general election since the 2021 military coup has ended almost exactly as expected. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has won an overwhelming parliamentary majority after voting was conducted in three…
US Forces Capture Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela Raid
The United States has crossed a threshold in Latin America that would have seemed almost unimaginable a year ago. On 3 January, American special forces entered Caracas in Operation Absolute Resolve, captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás…
US Government Shutdown Nears an End After Record 40-Day Standoff
The longest federal government shutdown in American history appears finally to be approaching an end. After 40 days without normal government funding, a group of Senate Democrats has joined Republicans behind a compromise that would…
Georgia’s Ruling Party Says It Won Every Municipality. The Opposition Tried to Force Its Way Into the Presidential Palace. A Country That Once Seemed Almost Certain to Join Europe Is Now Fighting Over What “Europe” Even Means.
Georgia’s political crisis has entered a substantially more dangerous phase. In yesterday’s local elections, the governing Georgian Dream party claimed victory in every municipality across the country after the two largest opposition blocs boycotted the…
Moldova Is Voting Between Europe and Russia. Can a Small Democracy Remain Politically Sovereign When Much Larger Powers Can Influence Its Politics Without Crossing Its Border.
Moldovans are voting today in one of the most consequential parliamentary elections in the country’s recent history. President Maia Sandu’s pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) is attempting to retain enough parliamentary power to…
