Politics

For the third consecutive year, the percentage of countries experiencing a decline in the rule of law has decreased. Additionally, for the first time in five years, more countries have shown improvement in the \"absence of corruption\" indicator. Bulgaria, however, is not among these countries. From 2016 to 2024, the state of fundamental human rights has worsened in 81% of the countries surveyed, including Bulgaria.

Donald Trump’s victory is a product of the Democratic establishment in America and the media and experts that support them. Despite the enormous campaign warning that democracy would end if Trump won, they did everything to hand him victory on a silver platter. Firstly, they clung to the hope that the infirm 81-year-old Joe Biden could collect his thoughts and lead a campaign.

As of September 1, 2024, the part of an Oregon law that allowed possession of small amounts of psychoactive substances for personal use only under penalty of a misdemeanor was repealed. The decriminalization, which Oregonians voted for in a referendum in 2020, was intended to reduce the social stigma of addicted individuals, reduce overdose deaths, and ease users’ pathways to rehab.

Populist parties raise important questions but offer terrible answers, a weakness others should exploit. Populism is by no means a new phenomenon, but recent years have seen a clear rise in parties turning to a more authoritarian, populist strategy of winning over voters. Now, the populist movement has managed to establish a strong position in Europe, and although its popularity is not currently rising, it is not diminishing either.

When it comes to healthcare and access to medication, regulators need to get out of the way. There is an ongoing debate about cannabis liberalization, but there is another drug which needs to be made more readily available: epinephrine, an essential medicine against severe allergic reactions. Epinephrine, a life-saving medicine, is not an over-the-counter drug. It requires a prescription, given to those who have known allergies. This needs to change.

Magic had influenced humankind since time immemorial until the age of reason started to disenchant the world. Unfortunately, magical practices still affect our lives. Thanks to the warped politics in some corners of the modern world, such as some far-right movements and the Kremlin under Vladimir Putin, magic is still leaving a sorry and unwelcome footprint on politics today.

In recent years, the quality of law-making in Poland has significantly deteriorated. Practices such as ignoring procedures, bypassing public consultations, using the deputies’ initiative route for government projects, and last-minute insertions in the final stage of the legislative process have been a constant element of the political landscape.

Over the last eight years, the Law and Justice (PiS) government in Poland redefined the boundaries of regulations governing the lifestyle of citizens, introducing a series of laws and regulations aimed at promoting desired or healthy habits and behaviors, while limiting access to products and services deemed harmful.

The 1990s brought several significant changes for Europe. On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia was dissolved, and as a result, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have since been independent states of the Central and Eastern European region. The focus of European public discourse is not always on Slovak domestic politics, but the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico in 2024 has shocked the continent.

The 2024 EP and municipal elections in Hungary, held on the same day, provide a complex and illuminating study of how financial resources, legal frameworks, and media control shape electoral outcomes. The Fidesz party\'s overwhelming dominance in campaign spending, both directly and indirectly, highlights significant imbalances in the democratic process.