party system

The Polish government, criticized for violating the rule of law, often refers to a sense of limited \'sovereignty\', which, according to the opposition and some commentators, may in the future lead to a so-called Polexit.

In this episode, we talk about the forthcoming general election in Italy, the political context, the possible outcome, and its consequences for the European Union.

On April 24, a parliamentary election took place in Slovenia. The results reflect a clear message from voters that the government needs to change. In mature liberal democracies, a change in government is a time for reflection for all involved in the politics of a country.

Though Fidesz supported sanctions against Russia, the government is not allowing the transfer of lethal weapons through Hungarian territory to Ukraine. The narrative that Fidesz supports peace while the opposition supports war was completely false, nevertheless it worked.

Liberals support free higher education and there does not seem to be as much support for economic liberalism among liberals in Hungary. Culturally, it is interesting that many Hungarian liberals are conservative on issues such as homosexuality.

Mobilization of Polish society to help refugees is beyond all expectations. Facebook groups where ordinary citizens offer their help have mushroomed in recent days, gathering hundreds of thousands of users.

United Russia party gained a majority of votes in a parliamentary election accompanied by alleged widespread violations. While observers report cases of forced voting and vote-rigging, Russian officials shift the blame to foreign media and NGOs. Their rhetoric is echoed by the pro-Russian disinformation media.

In order to defeat the Law and Justice party, it is essential to take the microphone away from the “scary grandpas”. Poland is still ruled by metrical and mental old-timers, who built their position in the early day of the Third Polish Republic. They are described as the creators and symbols of the Third Republic – the Deserving Ones.

On Tuesday, the 15th of June, the Hungarian parliament passed a new law to protect children from pedophilia. However, the law also bans LGBT+ related content in schools, advertisement and TV. While the opposition boycotted the vote, 157 yes-votes and one dissenting vote enabled the new legislation to enter into force under the leadership of Viktor Orbán’s government.

Viktor Orban\'s new legislative package equates homosexuality with paedophilia. For next year\'s elections, Orban\'s government needed another bogeyman against which it could mobilize populistically. But sexual identity is protected in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The European Commission must immediately initiate infringement proceedings against Hungary, demands Moritz Körner in an interview.