Elections, Elections, Elections

[sunday]

Seems to be the hallmark of successful dictators.

[lucklucky]

 

Everyone - even republicans - were tired of disastrous 1st Republic with almost low level terrorist war in major cities, bankruptcy,  inflation.   And had technical knowledge of public administration and finances.

Still he was too slow for History super fast speed. 

Edited September 29, 2022 by lucklucky

[BansheeOne]

Quote

Date 02.10.2022

Latvia election: Karins wins reelection amid Russia-Ukraine war

Latvian citizens have reelected Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins with communal division, energy prices and Russia's war in Ukraine on their minds.

Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins' center-right New Unity Party emerged as the leading vote winner with 18.9% support as the state election body reported results from 95% of districts on Sunday. 

A joint exit poll conducted for the country's LETA news agency and state broadcasters.also put the centrist and environmentalist United List Party in second place with 11.5% of the vote. Meanwhile, the Greens and Farmers Union was in third with 10.9% support.

Latvians cast their votes in Saturday's general election under the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine war, divisions among the Baltic country's sizable ethnic-Russian minority, and a weak economy with particularly high energy prices.

"Russians invading Ukraine helps Karins to secure voters in Latvia because in such times people tend to rally around the flag," political expert Marcis Krastins said. 

This level of support, however, will not be enough to win Karins a majority government.

The 57-year-old became the head of the Latvian government in January 2019 by forming a coalition with four parties: the center-right National Alliance, the centrist Development/For!, the Conservatives and Karins' own New Unity Party. He told Latvian media outlets that it would be easiest to continue with the same coalition government if New Unity wins. 

Over 1,800 candidates belonging to 19 parties are running for office in Latvia. Only eight of these 19 parties are expected to pass through the 5% threshold required to secure a place in the 100-seat Saeima legislature.

Death knell for the opposition?

Latvia's Social Democratic Party Harmony, which usually has strong support from the Russian-speaking minorities in the country, is likely to be left out in the cold in this general election.

The Moscow-friendly party has garnered more votes than any of its peers in past elections but also failed to form a government on account of being excluded by other parties. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has weakened the party's position further. Harmony's staunch opposition to Russia's invasion isolated it from the pro-Putin voters. On the other hand, those who are against the war aligned themselves with other Latvian parties.  

Harmony is now trailing in fifth place with 5.1% support, according to a poll by Latvian public broadcaster LSM. 

https://www.dw.com/en/latvia-election-karins-wins-reelection-amid-russia-ukraine-war/a-63305784

[rmgill]

Stacy, 'rightful governor of Georgia' and 'President of Earth' loses her lawsuit alleging 2018 election voter suppression.

 

https://legalinsurrection.com/2022/10/judge-rules-against-stacey-abrams-group-contesting-2018-georgia-gubernatorial-election/

 

 

Edited October 2, 2022 by rmgill

[BansheeOne]

It's super Sunday!

Quote

Date 03.10.2022

Brazil election: Lula to face Bolsonaro in runoff

Brazil's presidential race is set for a second round on October 30, as far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and leftist former President Lula da Silva did not secure the votes necessary to claim an outright victory.

Brazil's presidential race will go on to a runoff after first-round results showed on Sunday that the two front runners failed to receive over 50% of the votes. 

Brazilian electoral authorities said the vote will go to a second round after former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva got 48.4% of the vote, while incumbent Jair Bolsonaro got 43.2%. 

What the candidates said about the results

Da Silva, best known as Lula, told reporters he wanted to win "every election in the first round," but that wasn't always possible.

He stayed optimistic although Bolsonaro outperformed forecasts. The leftist leader said he looked forward to a debate with his rival.

"We're going to keep fighting until the final victory," Lula da Silva told supporters.

Bolsonaro was calm and confident in delivering post-election remarks as well, telling reporters "we beat the lie," referring to predictions by leading polling platforms that had put him far below the number of votes he ended up getting. 

"Now the campaign is ours... I'm completely confident. We have a lot of positive accomplishments to show," Bolsonaro added.     

He said he understood there was a "desire for change" among people but that "certain changes can be for the worse." 

Bolsonaro has not challenged the results of Sunday's election even though he has repeatedly claimed that the country's voting machines were prone to fraud.

Why the election matters

Brazil is the world's fourth-largest democracy and the two main candidates represent two ends of the political spectrum.

This caused uncertainty about the future of Brazil's democracy. There were also concerns about whether either candidate could claim an outright victory.

Opinion polls had put Lula da Silva in the lead for months, and Bolsanaro avoided questions about whether he would respect results if he lost, prompting fears of post-electoral violence.

[...]

https://www.dw.com/en/brazil-election-lula-to-face-bolsonaro-in-runoff/a-63316682

 

Quote

Date 02.10.2022

Bulgaria: Polls close in fourth election in under 2 years

Bulgarians have cast their votes in the fourth election the country has seen in 18 months. The EU's poorest member is struggling with double-digit inflation and divisions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Polls have closed in Bulgaria's fourth general election in 18 months, with turnout expected to be low as Bulgarians struggle with economic woes and tension regarding the neighboring Russia-Ukraine war.

The European Union's poorest member is struggling to stabilize its economy, with inflation at nearly 20%.

Borisov comeback in the offing? 

First exit polls favored former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, 63 and previously in power for the vast majority of the period from 2009 to 2021 in three separate stints.

Exit polls gave his conservative GERB party the lead, with around 25% support.

Prime Minister Kiril Petkov's centrist We Continue to Change (PP) party trailed behind, with nearly 19%.

Petkov's fragile coalition collapsed after only a few months in power. They lost a no-confidence vote last June. 

Prior to the vote, Petkov had said he would not form a coalition with Borisov under any circumstances. This could lead to difficulties finding any viable coalition with majority support.

Pro-Russian minority party also making gains 

Petkov's government's staunch anti-Russian stance in the war against Ukraine has also left it with a major energy crisis.

The Bulgarian government refused to pay for Russian gas in rubles. Soon afterwards, Russian energy giant Gazprom cut off supplies to the country.

Petkov's anti-Russia movements, despite Bulgaria's historic ties with Moscow, seem to have encouraged Russian sympathies. Early exit polls by Gallop International suggest the pro-Russia ultra-nationalist Revival has about 10% support, more than double its 4.9% vote during the last election.

This could pose as a major roadblock to the country's plans to join the eurozone single currency bloc by 2024, as might the double-digit inflation figures.

https://www.dw.com/en/bulgaria-polls-close-in-fourth-election-in-under-2-years/a-63315178

 

Quote

Date 03.10.2022

Bosnia election: Reformists gain in vote dominated by ethnic tensions

Voters turned out to choose the country's new tripartite presidency and national, regional and local lawmakers. Nearly 30 years after the Bosnian war, the Balkan country is plagued by friction between its ethnic groups.

Bosnia's election was held primarily to cast ballots for the country's unique tripartite presidency, a system that sees the president's role shared by one Bosniak, one Serb and one Croat, who each serve a four-year term.

The vote has been a tight contest between entrenched nationalists and economy-focused reformists.

Preliminary results on Monday showed that moderate Denis Becirevic was leading in the race for the Muslim Bosniak seat on presidency. "It is time for a positive turnaround in Bosnia," he said after claiming victory.

Becirevic, from the Social Democratic Party (SDP), won 55.78% of the votes over Bakir Izetbegovic, whose nationalist Bosniak Party of the Democratic Action (SDA) has been in power since the end of the war in 1996. The latter conceded defeat late on Sunday

For the Croat presidency member, moderate Zeljko Komsic appears to be slightly ahead of Borjana Kristo of the nationalist Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)

In the race for the the Serb member of the Bosnian presidency, Zeljka Cvijanovic won 51.65% of the votes counted, a close ally of pro-Russian Milorad Dodik. 

Dodik used to be the Serb member of the presidency but now is running for the separate job of president of the Republika Srpska, the autonomous Serbian part of the country. In that separate vote, he appears still tied with the opposition's Jelena Trivic, an economy professor.

Voters have also picked the deputies of the federal parliament and a string of regional and local councils.

The election followed a campaign dominated by threats of secession, political infighting and ethnic tensions. 

The Balkan country is going through arguably its worst political crisis since the end of its war in the 1990s.

[...]

https://www.dw.com/en/bosnia-election-reformists-gain-in-vote-dominated-by-ethnic-tensions/a-63315391

[rmgill]

 

 

Edited October 30, 2022 by rmgill

[sunday]

There could be a repeat of 2020.

[rmgill]

I think it will be worse for the Democrats. 

[MiloMorai]

46 minutes ago, rmgill said:

I think it will be worse for the Democrats. 

It will be worse for the USofA.

[sunday]

1 hour ago, rmgill said:

I think it will be worse for the Democrats. 

Not a repeat in that sense.

[sunday]

It has begin.

https://davidicke.com/2022/10/31/florida-officials-open-probe-into-widespread-ballot-harvesting-operation-after-democrat-blows-whistle/

[BansheeOne]

The rat race is run. Now let the usual screaming begin.

Quote

Brazil election: Lula wins presidency, defeats Bolsonaro

11 hours ago

Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has secured a return to office, defeating far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. He called for "peace and unity" after a bitter electoral campaign.

Leftist veteran Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, commonly known as Lula, defeated far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the runoff election for the Brazilian presidency on Sunday after attaining 50.9% of the vote, according to the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE).

Bolsonaro is now the first Brazilian president to not win reelection since the country's return to democracy in 1985, and he has not yet conceded the race. 

It's unclear whether Bolsonaro will accept the results, as he has previously suggested he would claim fraud if lost the election.

[...]

https://www.dw.com/en/brazil-election-lula-wins-presidency-defeats-bolsonaro/a-63599211

[rmgill]

 

[urbanoid]

So it looks like Bibi is back.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63459824

[BansheeOne]

Zzzz ... huh, there was another Israeli election? 😁

Meanwhile in Denmark:

Quote

Denmark: Ruling Center-left bloc wins razor-thin majority

7 hours ago

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's existing government remains the strongest force after the early elections. But Frederiksen told supporters she would explore options for a broader coalition government.

A preliminary full count of votes in Denmark, covering everywhere but remote Greenland, suggests that Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's Social Democrats will remain the strongest party in the country. 

Assuming the seats in Greenland and the Faroe Islands with results still outstanding vote for the center-left as broadly expected, Frederiksen's existing alliance would retain a tiny majority in parliament, with 90 or 91 of 179 seats.

However, the 44-year-old prime minister had called the early elections as her single-party minority government with backing mainly from a left-leaning bloc threatened to unravel, saying she was looking to set up a broader government that was more robust. She left this option open in her first comments as results came in. 

"I am so thrilled and proud. We have secured the best election result in 20 years,'' Frederiksen told supporters early Wednesday in Copenhagen.

"It is also clear there is no longer a majority behind the government in its current form. Therefore, tomorrow I will submit the government's resignation to the queen," she said, also saying she would meet with other parties to explore future coalition options.

Venstre suffer major losses, Rasmussen's new Moderates emerge

Denmark's complicated political landscape will include 12 parties in the new parliament. 

With four seats still to declare, Frederiksen's Social Democrats won at least 50 seats, a gain, making them the largest party once more. 

The second force in Danish politics, the conservative-liberal Venstre party, suffered major losses — dropping to 23 seats from 43. Its leader Jacob Ellemann-Jensen said the poor showing was "first and foremost my responsibility."

Many Venstre seats were picked up by the new party formed by ex-Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, a former leader of Venstre. Rasmussen's party, called Moderates, grabbed 16 seats. 

Rasmussen was seen in particular as a potential kingmaker as his party currently sits outside of the two loose alliances of left-leaning and right-leaning parties, known as the red and blue blocs. 

[...]

Other Venstre voters appeared to be migrating to more openly anti-immigration parties. 

They include the Denmark Democrats, founded by former hard-line Immigration Minister Inger Stojberg earlier this year. The new party claimed 14 seats, making it the fifth power behind the Green Left with 15. 

Voting triggered by 'mink crisis'

The election was sparked by the "mink crisis," which has embroiled Denmark since a government decision in November 2020 to cull the country's roughly 15 million minks because of fears about a mutated strain of COVID-19.

A court determined the decision was illegal in July, and a party supporting the Social Democrats threatened to topple the government unless fresh elections were held. 

[...]

https://www.dw.com/en/denmark-ruling-center-left-bloc-wins-razor-thin-majority/a-63613211

[BansheeOne]

Quote

Czech presidential race: Ex-NATO general defeats former PM

3 hours ago

Retired NATO general Petr Pavel won against former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis in the race for president. Babis had labeled the vote "a referendum" on his political leadership.

Voters in the Czech Republic cast their ballots on Saturday in a runoff presidential election, with retired NATO general Petr Pavel defeating former Prime Minister Andrej Babis.

Polls closed at 2:00 p.m. local time (1300 UTC) in the second-day of voting. Local media reported high voter turnout in the final hours of the election.

Opinion polls put Pavel ahead

Pavel came out ahead in the first round of the presidential election earlier this month, but with just 35.4% of the vote to Babis' 35%, sending the two of them to the runoff vote. 

But as the second round vote neared, Pavel was ahead in the latest opinion polls with 58% to 59% support, compared with 41% to 42% for Babis.

The retired NATO general said on Friday, as he cast his vote, that he wanted to be "a dignified president" for country.

Babis, who is one of the richest men in Czech Republic, served as as prime minister from 2017 to 2021 and has faced legal troubles. He called the election "a referendum on Babis."

The winner of the election is set to replace Milos Zeman, who has been an outspoken and divisive president. Zeman had fostered close ties with Moscow, but as Russia invaded Ukraine last year he fell in line with EU-wide opposition to Russia and support of Kyiv.

The Czech presidency is largely ceremonial, but the role also involves naming the government, selecting the central bank governor and constitutional judges, as well as serving as commander of the armed forces.

Death threats and fraud charges

Babis' run for president in Czech Republic has been marred by scandal, even as he is supported by current-President Zeman. Since the first round of the presidential contest, Babis and his family have been targeted by death threats. 

But he has also been under scrutiny for fraud charges. Prosecutors accused Babis of playing a role in illegally obtaining €2 million ($2.02 million) in subsidies from the EU in 2008 for a wellness resort called Stork's Nest. The resort, located near Prague, is owned by members of Babis' family. Babis was ultimately acquitted.

Known for his combative style, Babis currently leads the largest opposition party in parliament. He has attacked Pavel for being the government's choice for president.

Babis campaigned on fears of Russia's war in Ukraine spreading, suggested that as a former soldier, Pavel could drag the Czechs into a bigger war.

Pavel backs Ukraine

For his part, Pavel has run as an independent, no-nonsense candidate. "I won't offer you pie in the sky, but instead I'll describe reality as it is," Pavel said.

He has backed keeping the central European country firmly within the EU and NATO military alliance. He is also in favor of the Czech Republic adopting the euro.

Pavel has pledged continuous aid and support to Ukraine, labeling Babis' accusations against him on the topic as "fearmongering." 

"I believe it will be important to continue to explain to people why it is important to support Ukraine," he said on Friday.

Pavel is said to also support progressive policies such as gay marriage.

https://www.dw.com/en/czech-presidential-race-ex-nato-general-defeats-former-pm/a-64544954

[BansheeOne]

Remember the Dutch farmers who got pissed over environmental regulations? They just sorta won the local version of the midterm elections. 😄

Quote

Dutch farmers' party wins big in provincial elections

40 minutes ago

The populist party has taken center stage in a sign of growing dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Mark Rutte's coalition.

A populist party founded only four years ago is set to emerge as the biggest party in Dutch provinicial elections for the upper house of parliament on Thursday, after riding a wave of protests by angry farmers. 

The Boer-Burger Beweging (BBB), or Farmer-Citizen Movement, is projected to win 16 or 17 seats in the 75-seat upper house of the Dutch national parliament. 

The party gained popularity as Dutch farmers' protests ramped up in recent years, also gaining some global support, including from former US President Donald Trump and other right-wing or populist figures.

The farmers have been demonstrating against Prime Minister Mark Rutte's ruling coalition's plans to cut nitrogen emissions by slashing livestock numbers and possibly closing farms. 

How did other parties perform this election?

The four parties in the center-right ruling coalition were dealt significant losses. Combined, they are projected to have under a third of the Senate seats. 

"This is not the victory we had hoped for," Rutte, who has served as prime minister since 2010, said after the initial forecasts. 

The co-ruling Christian Democratic party is seen as one of the biggest losers in this election, losing almost half of its seats. The party has traditionally represented many farmers and conservative rural voters. 

The Labor party (PvdA) and the Greens (GroenLinks) are likely to win 15 seats combined, according to the preliminary results. 

The results force Rutte's coalition to choose to either work with a left-leaning leaning bloc with environmental ambitions, or with the BBB. The latter is aiming to soften policies regarding cutting nitrate pollution. 

[...]

"Normally, if people no longer trust the government, they stay home," BBB leader Caroline van der Plas said in a victory speech. "Today they showed they don't want to stay at home — they want their voices to be heard."

But turnout only appeared to have risen slightly. Nearly 58% of eligible voters cast their vote on Wednesday, compared to 56% in 2019, according to Dutch broadcaster NOS. 

Midterm elections are typically seen as a chance for voters to express anger at the ruling coalition in the Netherlands, and fringe parties have enjoyed short-lived successes at them in the past.

Four years ago, the populist Forum for Democracy (FVD) won the biggest share of the election, but it suffered major losses in Wednesday's vote, and was projected to hold just 2 seats in the upper house.

[...]

Van der Plas says Wednesday's vote was about more than the farm pollution issue.

"Nitrate is a symbol for dissatisfaction in the country," she told NOS on Thursday, adding that many BBB voters "feel unheard, unseen" by politicians in The Hague.

https://www.dw.com/en/dutch-farmers-party-wins-big-in-provincial-elections/a-65009995

[sunday]

Local and regional elections in Spain.

Socialists got thrashed.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/spain-holds-regional-elections-ahead-year-end-national-vote-2023-05-28/

[sunday]

Our sorry excuse for a PM just announced early elections to be had in July 23rd.

[BansheeOne]

Warning notice for the Netherlands:

Quote

Dutch PM Mark Rutte to leave politics after collapse of government

Netherlands’ longest serving PM announces decision after his coalition resigned on Friday

Associated Press in The Hague

Mon 10 Jul 2023 05.09 EDT

The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, the Netherlands’ longest serving premier, said on Monday he would leave politics after a general election sparked by his government’s resignation.

His decision means the end of more than 13 years in power for the conservative leader sometimes called Teflon Mark because scandals that plagued his four different administrations did not stick to him.

Rutte, the 56-year-old leader of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, or VVD, announced his decision at a hastily arranged parliamentary debate to discuss the fall of his latest governing coalition.

[...]

Rutte’s four-party ruling coalition resigned on Friday after failing to agree on a package of measures to rein in migration. He said it was a unanimous decision by the four partner parties prompted by “irreconcilable differences”.

There was no immediate indication who might replace Rutte as leader of the VVD. The party’s parliamentary faction is led by Sophie Hermans, Rutte’s former political assistant.

No date has yet been set for the election, but it is not expected before October or November.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/10/dutch-pm-mark-rutte-to-leave-politics-after-collapse-of-government

[JWB]

Michigan files felony charges in alleged false electors scheme in 2020 US election (msn.com)

[BansheeOne]

Though elections in Poland are only in October, it might be timely to direct attention to the rise of a third power which could upset the whole applecart. Polls look more or less hung between the center-left and right camp anyway, but while these guys are technically on the right, both they and the two major parties claim they won't play with each other, posing the question of who the heck is gonna form a government then.

Quote

Poland's far-right Confederation party set to be kingmaker

Jacek Lepiarz in Warsaw

2 hours ago

Polls suggest Poland's Confederation alliance is on course to become the third-largest political force in this fall's parliamentary election. Will the far-right libertarians end up holding the balance of power?

The new shooting star on Poland's political stage is just 36 years old. Slawomir Mentzen has a PhD in economics and owns a tax consultancy and a craft brewery.

His political program, which he calls the "Constitution of Freedom," is simple: One tax rate (12%) for all, tax relief for private entrepreneurs, the abolition of obligatory pension contributions and health insurance, and fierce criticism of the European Union.

Mentzen hopes that these policies will lead the Confederation alliance to third place in this fall's parliamentary elections.

Right-wing alliance formed in 2019

Mentzen's New Hope party is part of the alliance known as Confederation Liberty and Independence, or simply Confederation for short. Other members of the alliance include the far-right National Movement and Polish Crown parties.

The libertarian, nationalist, right-wing Confederation alliance was formed in the run-up to the 2019 parliamentary election and won 11 seats in the lower house of parliament, the Sejm. However, squabbles within the alliance and provocative appearances in parliament in the intervening period meant that it remained on the fringe of Polish political life.

This year, however, support for Confederation has been growing steadily. Some polls indicate that it has already passed the 15% mark and even overtaken other parties vying for third place in the election, such as the New Left or the alliance between the centrist Christian Democratic Poland 2050 party and agrarian Polish People's Party.

Nipping at the heels of the two main parties

For over 20 years now, politics in Poland have been dominated by two heavyweights, Donald Tusk and Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

Tusk's liberal-conservative pro-European Civic Platform (PO) was in power from 2007 to 2015. Kaczynski's right-wing, eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) party was in government both before and after that (2005–2007 and 2015 to present). No political force has thus far been able to break the duopoly of these two major parties.

Now, however, a little over two months before Poland's parliamentary election, Confederation is ready to step into the spotlight. Its rapid ascent in the opinion polls is down to political newcomer Mentzen, who has succeeded in giving the dubious movement a modern, new image that appeals to a certain section of the electorate.

Recent change in image, style and target group

When the alliance was founded four years ago, Mentzen said that its aim was to create "a Poland without Jews, homosexuals, abortion, taxes and the European Union." Today, he rarely makes public statements like this and says little about his plans to use prison sentences to punish women who have had abortions.

With his preference for "Beer with Mentzen" events over lengthy political addresses, his political style is very different, too. He is targeting young men, particularly self-employed entrepreneurs. According to the research institute Ogolnopolska Grupa Badawcza, half of all men between the ages of 18 and 39 intend to vote for Confederation in the upcoming parliamentary election.

[...]

Is a coalition with Confederation likely?

As an anti-establishment coalition, Confederation is rejecting all alliances with traditional parties. The PO and PiS have also declared that they do not at present want anything to do with Mentzen.

Nevertheless, Kaczynski does seem to be aware of the imminent threat: It looks as if his tactic of never leaving room for a political force to the right of the PiS could be in tatters. 

Criticism from the government and opposition

Kaczynski spoke about Confederation for the first time at a public event in the last week of July. He said that its program had been written by "lunatics," adding that "only children could believe in such a program."

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also went on the offensive: "This is a Darwinist program that makes the strong stronger, the rich richer and the poor poorer," he said.

Opposition leader Tusk also targeted Confederation, calling its tax plans "nonsense." Speaking at an election campaign event in Poznan, he said that "Confederation is acting like it is the opposition. In reality, it is even more radical than the PiS on many points."

All experts agree that neither Tusk nor Kaczynski will be able to govern alone after the election. In that case, Confederation would be even more powerful than either of the country's two major parties care to imagine. 

The leading Polish weekly, Polityka, has already predicted what will happen if this situation does indeed come about: "Confederation will refuse to join the government — no matter who is in charge — and will wait for the crisis and early elections. Then it will lay claim to power."

Mentzen's time may come sooner than many think.

https://www.dw.com/en/polands-far-right-confederation-party-set-to-be-kingmaker/a-66406501

Polish polls predicting seat distribution from Wiki:

 

[urbanoid]

That part:

Quote

The leading Polish weekly, Polityka, has already predicted what will happen if this situation does indeed come about: "Confederation will refuse to join the government — no matter who is in charge — and will wait for the crisis and early elections. Then it will lay claim to power."

is rather unrealistic.

[BansheeOne]

Thought the same. It assumes that these guys think they would be rewarded with an even better result if they made everyone go to the polls again. That doesn't usually happen.

I have to say it's interesting that this boy Mentzen seems to have some success with American-type right-wing politics (no taxes, no public healthcare, and no abortion either!) vs. the European-style big state right, represented no better by anyone than the PiS with their welfare statism and economic interventionism.

[Skywalkre]

To our European brethren here on TN...

Last night I saw a piece highlighting the upcoming elections in Slovakia.  The report painted a rather depressing picture of a very likely win by Pro-Russian elements.  One perceived issue they touched on was simply Slovakia isn't the wealthiest country and many are upset at the substantial aid that's been given to Ukraine relative to the size of the country while so many are struggling to get by in the country.  The report also claimed there's a sizable element of the population that is very Pro-Russian.

So for those who are actually nearby and have far more insight... what's really going on?  To be fair this piece was barely a few minutes long and I imagine that even if they got everything right there wasn't enough time to accurately cover what's going on there.

Edited September 28, 2023 by Skywalkre