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Country Reports

Short political reports of the KAS offices abroad

Publications

Law Brief: Navigating the Legal Landscape

Law Brief is a collection of legal articles that are written by KASFLY-2023 Fellows. Each fellowship consists of a series of training that enhance critical thinking, research, analysis, and academic writing skills.

Länderbericht: Regierungswechsel in Luxemburg

CSV-DP-Regierung unter Luc Frieden vereidigt

Nach den Parlamentswahlen vom Oktober wurde die neue Regierung von Premierminister Luc Frieden (CSV) vereidigt. Das Bündnis aus Christlich-sozialer Volkspartei (CSV) und der liberalen Demokratischen Partei (DP) löst die bisherige Dreierkoalition aus liberaler DP, Arbeiterpartei LSAP und den Grünen ab. Der ehemalige Premierminister Xavier Bettel (DP) wird Außenminister.

Adobe Stock / vepar5

The Democratic Republic of the Congo before the election

The Democratic Republic of Congo with its 100 million inhabitants votes in December - an opportunity and a challenge

On 20 December 2023, the people of Africa's second largest country, which has been ravaged by crises, mismanagement and war, will be called upon to take part in a mega-event: they will simultaneously elect the President of the Republic, the 500 members of the National Assembly, the representatives of the 26 provincial parliaments and, for the first time, the members of the municipal councils (city councils). President Félix Tshisekedi, the country's former beacon of hope, is standing for re-election. The presidential candidates all come from the well-known political class. However, the opposition candidates are primarily criticising the current government and the election process. Political parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are rarely guided by traditional ideological or democratic principles; they are often linked to tangible economic interests. In the past, there have been repeated cases of unrest after elections - in a country the size of Western Europe.

IMAGO / NurPhoto

Facing difficult dilemmas

Rishi Sunak and the Tories ahead of the 2024 elections

In the polls, the opposition Labour Party is far ahead of the ruling Conservatives. With the appointment of David Cameron as Foreign Secretary, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is under immense pressure, has certainly pulled off a coup. This risky move hints at the outlines of the strategy the British Conservatives will take into the 2024 election year.

Länderbericht: Paukenschlag in den Niederlanden

Rechtspopulisten erstmals stärkste Kraft im Land

Die Niederlande haben ein neues Parlament gewählt – das Ergebnis lässt aufhorchen und sorgt auf nationaler und europäischer Ebene für Diskussionen und Beunruhigung. Die rechtspopulistische Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV) um Frontmann Geert Wilders wurde mit Abstand stärkste Kraft und verwies die bis kurz vor der Wahl favorisierten Konkurrenten aus dem Mitte-Rechts und Mitte-Links-Spektrum deutlich auf die Plätze zwei bis vier. Eine Regierungsbildung dürfte schwierig werden und viel Zeit in Anspruch nehmen. Bis in der politisch zersplitterten Zweiten Kammer der Generalstaaten (vergleichbar mit dem Deutschen Bundestag) eine neue Mehrheit gefunden ist, bleibt das vierte Kabinett von Langzeit-Premierminister Mark Rutte geschäftsführend im Amt.

Wiederwahl von Ministerpräsident Pedro Sánchez

Fragile Minderheitsregierung treibt Polarisierung im Land weiter voran

Pedro Sánchez (PSOE) ist als Ministerpräsident mit Hilfe separatistischer Parteien aus Katalonien und dem Baskenland wiedergewählt worden. Er mutet Spanien dafür einen hohen Preis zu. Das Land ist gespalten wie nie. Die noch junge Demokratie droht Schaden zu nehmen.

IMAGO / Xinhua

A leap into the unknown

Libertarian Javier Milei is the new president of Argentina

The winner of the run-off election for the office of President of Argentina is Javier Milei. The libertarian candidate from the La Libertad Avanza party, which was only founded two years ago, won a surprisingly clear victory with 55.69% of the vote and a lead of over 11% against the Peronist candidate and incumbent Minister of Economy and Finance Sergio Massa with 44.3%. In the general elections on October 22, the latter had been able to claim first place in the voters' favor with just under 37% of the vote and a 7% lead over Milei. Voter turnout was 76.35% and the proportion of abstentions was lower than expected at 1.55%, with 1.62% of votes being invalid. The Libertarian won in 20 of the 23 provinces and in the autonomous city of Buenos Aires. He probably also owes his clear victory to the support of prominent figures from the conservative Propuesta Republicana (PRO) party. Although their presidential candidate Patricia Bullrich did not make it into the run-off, almost 24% of voters had given her their vote in October. Just three days after the election, both former President Mauricio Macri and Patricia Bullrich publicly spoke out in favor of Milei and against Massa. However, the initial euphoria over the election victory could quickly evaporate, even for the newly elected president, against the backdrop of the enormous challenges, particularly in economic policy.

David Canales / Zuma Press / ContactoPhoto (europa press)

Re-election of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez

Fragile minority government will increase polarization

Pedro Sánchez (PSOE) has been re-elected as Prime Minister of the Spanish government with the help of separatist parties from Catalonia and the Basque Country. He is imposing a high price on Spain for his decision. The country is more divided than ever. The relatively young democracy is in danger of being compromised.

Policy Brief: Social Issues in Cambodia

In this volume, thirdteen articles have been highlighted in four areas ranging from 1) Phnom Penh City, 2) Economy and Digitalization, 3) Disaster Risk and Waste Management, and 4) Sustainable Development Goals in Cambodia.

Special Report - “ASEAN’s Critical Assessment and Practical Reforms”

This special publication aims to explore ASEAN’s weaknesses or loopholes in its existing working mechanisms, policies and initiatives by looking at its main three pillars, namely the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), and to offer recommendations for practical reforms.

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About this series

The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung is a political foundation. Our offices abroad are in charge of over 200 projects in more than 120 countries. The country reports offer current analyses, exclusive evaluations, background information and forecasts - provided by our international staff.

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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V.