Democracy

On 15 October Poles will go to the parliamentary elections. As the stakes of this vote are particularly high, political parties, both opposition and those in power, employ various strategies to maximise their chance for success. Whereas there is a very clear dividing line in programmatic terms, there are some similarities when it comes to electoral strategies resulting from the electoral rules. Pre-election polls indicate the ruling party is in the lead, yet the results are still uncertain and the government formation will depend on the willingness of the parties to enter a coalition.

The Dutch Greens and Labor Party are joining forces. Short-term to win the upcoming elections, form a left-wing, progressive coalition government, and reclaim the Prime Ministership. Long-term to offer a comprehensive, compelling vision for the future, in which a green well-being economy, security of existence, and social and climate justice are central. An exciting development with valuable insights for coalition-builders anywhere.

The English Greens have been celebrating big wins in local elections. Yet tensions are emerging as they try to reconcile their commitments to conservation, social justice, and new electoral opportunities. James Dennison explains how the party’s strategy is shifting.

The crises of our time demand serious solutions from the parties instead of a return to the past. Those who do not dare to say so demonstrate the opposite of state-political responsibility.

The first terrorist attack in modern Slovak history was committed on the evening of 12 October 2022 when a young neo-Nazi shot and killed two people, non-binary Juraj Vankulič and bisexual Matúš Horváth. Rather than serving as a catalyst for eliminating LGBT+ inequality, that attack marked yet another step toward worsening the situation in Slovakia for LGBT+ people.

The Syrian historian and journalist Karam Nachar is a co-founder of the Al-Jumhuriya newspaper. He writes about women’s and LGBT rights, among other socio-political debates. Interviewed by Hannah El-Hitami, he talks about the specific challenges for minorities in Syria, and the state of Syrian civil society after more than 10 years of war.

On April 19, 1943, Jews condemned to death in the Warsaw Ghetto rose up in an unprecedented heroic struggle against the German occupation. The commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the ghetto uprising is approaching. Joanna Maria Stolarek, director of the Warsaw office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation spoke with Zygmunt Stępiński, director of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews POLIN in Warsaw about the commemoration, the nature of remembrance, and the universal message that the uprising and its commemoration bring.

Free press and a diverse media landscape are a cornerstone in any democratic society. Traditionally, the Heinrich Böll Foundation has supported independent journalism through a variety of programs, including fellowship opportunities. The Transatlantic Media Fellowship, that supports well-researched transatlantic journalism, is one of them. After a two-year pandemic break, the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Warsaw will in 2023 again support a selected number of journalists for an independent minimum five-day transatlantic trip to research stories relevant to the Foundation’s work.

The once lively scene of local and national Ukrainian media is threatened by the brutal Russian invasion and occupation. War has changed the work of journalists and media business models are under threat.