Democracy
Russia Held an Election. An Election Without a Real Possibility of Losing Is Something Different.
Russia voted in a presidential election this weekend, and there was never serious uncertainty about who would emerge as president. Vladimir Putin, who has dominated Russian politics for almost a quarter of a century, is…
Haiti Still Has a Government. The Harder Question Is Whether It Still Has a State.
Haiti’s political and security crisis has deteriorated dramatically this week. Armed gangs have launched coordinated attacks across Port-au-Prince, targeting police stations, prisons and strategic infrastructure while Prime Minister Ariel Henry remains outside the country. Thousands…
Indonesia Just Voted for Continuity. The Question Is Whether Continuity Is Becoming a Dynasty.
Indonesia held one of the world’s largest elections on Wednesday, with more than 200 million registered voters choosing a president, national legislators and thousands of regional representatives across an archipelago containing more than 17,000 islands.
Milei Says Argentina Has No Alternative to Economic Shock. The Real Question Is Who Absorbs It.
Javier Milei became president of Argentina today, completing an extraordinary transformation from television economist to congressman to head of state in only a few years. His inaugural address was strikingly different from the optimism normally…
Geert Wilders Won the Dutch Election. He Still Has to Convince Other Parties to Let Him Govern.
The Netherlands produced one of Europe’s largest electoral surprises this week. Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom, or PVV, won 37 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, making it comfortably the largest party after years…
Poland’s Opposition May Have Defeated a Government Accused of Weakening Democratic Institutions. Now It Has to Repair Them Without Doing the Same Thing.
Poland voted today in an election that may end eight years of government by the conservative Law and Justice party, or PiS. PiS remains the largest individual party, winning roughly 35% of the vote according…
Kevin McCarthy Prevented a Government Shutdown. Three Days Later, His Own Party Helped Remove Him.
The United States House of Representatives removed Kevin McCarthy as Speaker on Tuesday, something that had never happened before in American history. Eight Republicans joined all Democrats who voted to support a motion introduced by…
Canada Says India May Have Been Involved in a Killing on Canadian Soil. The Evidence Now Matters More Than the Politics.
Relations between India and Canada have deteriorated dramatically this week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Canada’s Parliament that Canadian security agencies were investigating what he described as “credible allegations” of a potential link between…
Gabon’s Election Was Deeply Distrusted. That Still Does Not Make a Military Coup Democratic.
Military officers seized power in Gabon on Wednesday shortly after electoral authorities announced that President Ali Bongo Ondimba had won another term. The officers cancelled the election result, dissolved several state institutions and placed Bongo…
Imran Khan Has Been Sent to Prison. The Question Is Not Whether Politicians Should Face the Law, but Whether Pakistan’s Law Applies Politically.
Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison and arrested after a court convicted him in a case concerning state gifts received while he was prime minister. The case…
Niger’s Soldiers Say Democracy Failed to Provide Security. That Does Not Mean Soldiers Can.
Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum was detained by members of his presidential guard on Wednesday, and the country’s constitutionally elected government has effectively been overthrown. General Abdourahamane Tiani, who commanded the presidential guard that detained Bazoum,…
Spain Has Voted. The Party That Came First May Still Not Govern.
Spain voted today in an election that has produced a result simultaneously clear and inconclusive. Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s conservative People’s Party has emerged as the largest force in parliament, defeating Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s governing…
