Democracy

Congress govt prioritised dynasty over democracy: Sitharaman in RS debate

Opening the Rajya Sabha debate on Monday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman accused previous Congress-led central governments of suppressing freedom of speech

The year we reflected on institutions and their role in political economy

If there is a lesson to takeaway from the institutional turn in political economy, combined with the political currents of populism, it is this: Institutional strength is both vital and fragile

Georgia opposition party leader arrested as protests over EU row continue

Georgian police on Wednesday raided the offices of an opposition party and arrested its leader in an apparent attempt to squelch a wave of mass protests triggered by the governing party's decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union. During the past six nights, riot police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, who threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the Georgian capital's central boulevard. More than 300 protesters have been detained since Thursday and over 100 people have been treated for injuries. On Wednesday, the Coalition for Change opposition party said that police raided its offices and detained its leader, Nika Gvaramia. It shared a video showing several officers dragging Gvaramia into a car. Georgian media reported that police also raided the offices of several other opposition groups and non-government organizations. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the Georgian Dream party said the raids targeted those

'Bharatiya Nyaya Sahita' strengthens spirit of basis of democracy: PM Modi

The Prime Minister stated that the old criminal laws were the means of oppression and exploitation of Indians for the British regime

Foreign govts criticise sentencing of 45 democracy activists in Hong Kong

Forty-five prominent activists in Hong Kong were sentenced to jail for up to 10 years on Tuesday, sparking criticism from foreign governments and rights groups. The democracy advocates were among 47 people charged under a Beijing-imposed national security law in 2021 for their involvement in an unofficial primary election to pick opposition candidates. In the city's biggest national security case to date, they were accused of agreeing to veto government-proposed budgets indiscriminately after potentially securing a legislative majority to force a dissolution of the legislature and then the ouster of the city's leader. The case involved pro-democracy figures across the spectrum. Thirty-one of them pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit subversion. Fourteen others were convicted following a long trial. Two were acquitted. Australia Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her government was gravely concerned by the sentences for Australian citizen Gordon Ng and the .

Hong Kong to sentence 45 democracy activists in biggest security law case

The sentencing of former youth activist Joshua Wong, 28, and legal scholar Benny Tai, 60, will start at 10 a.m. today, nearly four years after they were arrested

Donald Trump has vowed to shake some of democracy's pillars in US

American presidential elections are a moment when the nation holds up a mirror to look at itself. They are a reflection of values and dreams, of grievances and scores to be settled. The results say much about a country's character, future and core beliefs. On Tuesday, America looked into that mirror and more voters saw former president Donald Trump, delivering him a far-reaching victory in the most contested states. He won for many reasons. One of them was that a formidable number of Americans, from different angles, said the state of democracy was a prime concern. The candidate they chose had campaigned through a lens of darkness, calling the country garbage and his opponent stupid, a communist and the b-word. The mirror reflected not only a restive nation's discontent but childless cat ladies, false stories of pets devoured by Haitian immigrant neighbours, a sustained emphasis on calling things weird, and a sudden bout of Democratic joy" now crushed. The campaign will be remembe

Democrat Josh Stein wins N Carolina governor's race defeating Robinson

Robinson advocated for bringing back slavery for some people and posted "gratuitously sexual and lewd" posts on the site, CNN reported, comments the Republican has denied making

Two major US newspapers refuse to endorse Trump, sparking democracy debate

At stake is whether the United States remains a functioning democracy or descends into a corrupt plutocracy

Why is democracy so fragile in both of our large subcontinental neighbours?

How come Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, and Sri Lanka remain constitutional, democratic, and stable despite Islam and Buddhism, respectively, but Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar don't?

Sri Lanka's new President Dissanayake pledges to clean public life

Sri Lanka's new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday vowed to preserve democracy and do everything to clean public life. The remarks by Dissanayake, 56, came as he was sworn in as Sri Lanka's ninth president on Monday by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya at the Presidential Secretariat. In his inaugural address to the nation, Dissanayake thanked his predecessor Ranil Wickremesinghe for respecting the people's mandate and facilitating a peaceful transfer of power. I assure you that I will do my best to preserve democracy and work towards restoring the honour of politicians as people have misgivings about their conduct," Dissanayake said in an address after taking the oath. Dissanayake stressed Sri Lanka cannot remain in isolation and needed international cooperation. He said he is not a magician, but his objective is to be part of a collective responsibility to elevate the economic crisis-stricken country. I'm not a magician. I'm an ordinary citizen born in this country. I

How some nations manage upheavals successfully and others go to pieces

The Sri Lankan transition was smoothly managed. Check Bangladesh for contrast. They forced their incumbent into exile, and installed a mostly unelectable govt of non-political people

'One Nation, One Election' will strengthen democracy, Centre-State relations: Ashwini Vaishnaw

PM Modi asks BJP members to focus on young generation in membership drive

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took a swipe at opposition parties, saying many of them are examples of what happens when political organisations do not follow internal democracy. Speaking at the launch of the BJP's membership drive, he said the 33 per cent reservation for women in assemblies and Lok Sabha will get implemented when the BJP build itself further through this campaign. During the BJP's membership drive held every six years, existing memberships are renewed and new members are enrolled into its fold. BJP president J P Nadda enrolled Modi as the first member, marking the launch of the drive. The prime minister asked BJP members to think innovatively and make border villages fortresses for the party. PM Modi said the new generation is not aware of headlines about scams 10 years ago, and asked party leaders to target the 18-25 year age group during the membership drive. Recalling the BJP's rise from its humble beginning as a two-MP party in Lok Sabha, Modi credit

Protesters against overhaul plan urge Mexican prez to 'respect democracy'

Thousands demonstrated in Mexico's capital Sunday in the latest opposition to President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador's proposed judicial overhaul and other moves by the governing party that critics say will weaken democratic checks and balances. Throngs of people, many of them striking federal court workers and judges, ended their march outside the Supreme Court building in the heart of the capital, waving flags reading Judicial independence and Respect democracy." Right now, we're protesting the reforms, but it's not just the reforms, said lawyer Mauricio Espinosa. Its all of these attacks against the judicial branch and other autonomous bodies. What it does is end up strengthening the executive, the next president. Following big electoral victories in June by the president's Morena party and its allies, the government has pushed for sweeping changes to Mexico's judicial system, long at odds with Lpez Obrador, a populist who has openly attacked judges and ignored court orders. His ..

Hasina will be back in B'desh once democracy restored: Hasina's son

Sheikh Hasina, who quit as prime minister and fled Bangladesh, will be back in the country as soon as democracy is restored, his son Sajeeb Wazed Joy said on Thursday and blamed Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI, for fuelling the ongoing unrest in the country. In an exclusive interview with PTI, Joy said although 76-year-old Hasina would definitely return to Bangladesh, it is not yet decided whether she will be back as a "retired or active" politician. He also asserted that the members of the Sheikh Mujib (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) family will neither abandon its people nor leave the beleaguered Awami League in the lurch. He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for protecting his mother and appealed to India to help build international opinion and exert pressure for the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh. "Yes, it is true that I had said she wouldn't return to Bangladesh. But a lot has changed in the last two days following continuous attacks on

US urges Bangladesh's interim govt to 'respect democratic principles'

The oath-taking ceremony of the interim government in Bangladesh will take place today evening

18 Jharkhand BJP MLAs suspended, LoP says 'black day' in democracy

Eighteen Jharkhand BJP MLAs were on Thursday suspended from the assembly for a day and subsequently removed by marshals after they refused to leave the House. Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto acted against the BJP legislators after they caused a disruption in the House in protest against the eviction of opposition MLAs by marshals the previous day and Chief Minister Hemant Soren's "refusal" to address their questions. Leader of the Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri alleged that a "dictatorship" was prevailing in Jharkhand and claimed that action was taken against BJP legislators at the behest of the JMM-led government. Several BJP MLAs spent Wednesday night in the assembly lobby after marshals evicted them from the well of the House. They had been protesting Soren's alleged refusal to answer their questions on key issues, including employment. Much before the House proceedings were scheduled to begin at 11 AM on Thursday, BJP legislators entered the well of the House, raising slogans demandi

Post-communist generation hopes for new era of democracy in Mongolia

Tsenguun Saruulsaikhan, a young and newly minted member of Mongolia's parliament, is unhappy with below-cost electricity rates that she says show her country has yet to fully shake off its socialist past. Most of Mongolia's power plants date from the Soviet era and outages are common in some areas. Heavy smog envelops the capital Ulaanbaatar in the winter because many people still burn coal to heat their homes. It's stuck in how it was like 40, 50 years ago, said Tsenguun, part of a rising generation of leaders who are puzzling out their country's future after three decades of democracy. And that's the reason why we need to change it. Democracy in Mongolia is in a transition phase, said Tsenguun, who at 27 is the youngest member of a new parliament sworn in this week. We are trying to figure out what democracy actually means, she said in a recent interview. Discontented voters deliver a ruling party setback Mongolia became a democracy in the early 1990s after six decades of one-pa

'Constitutional Morality' essential to India's diversity: CJI Chandrachud

Espousing the importance of implementing Constitutional Morality' in Indian jurisprudence, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Saturday insisted on the commitment of courts to ensure diversity, inclusion and tolerance. Speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day East Zone II Regional Conference of the National Judicial Academy, the CJI also focused on the importance of technological advancements in the justice delivery system. CJI Chandrachud elaborated on the notion of Constitutional Morality' as a restraining factor on the state that should derive from the Preambluar values of the Constitution. Underlining the country's federal structure that's marked by a great deal of diversity, the CJI focused on the role of judges in preserving the diversity of India. I am reticent when people call courts a temple of justice. Because that would mean the judges are deities which they are not. They are instead servers of the people, who deliver justice with compassion and empathy, CJ