Ghana's parliament passes anti-LGBTQ+ law

After more than 2½ years of deliberation, Ghana's parliament voted in favor of a new anti-LGBTQ+ law, dramatically worsening the situation for homosexuals and sexual minorities.

On January 31, 2021, supporters of the LGBTQ+ community opened an office in Ghana's capital Accra. The office was intended to be both a meeting place and a retreat. The opening, which was accompanied by media attention and a number of foreign ambassadors, quickly attracted a great deal of attention in Ghanaian society. The fierce criticism that followed not only led to the rapid closure of the center, but also to the introduction of a radical anti-LGBTQ+ bill in parliament. It was signed by eight MPs: seven from the opposition NDC (National Democratic Congress) and one from the ruling NPP (National Patriotic Party). Hon. Samuel Nartey George (NDC), who was a close advisor to former President John Mahama before his election as a Member of Parliament, is regarded as the initiator and main proponent of the bill. He classifies homosexuality as a "perversion" that must be severely punished.

The business of poverty migration in Niger

A challenge for Europe too?

The European Union is expanding cooperations with Mediterranean countries from Tunisia to Egypt and Lebanon in a bid to stop boat departures from migrants. But pressure is building up in the Sahel since Niger’s military government re-opened the land route for Migrants to Liba and Algeria. Niger had banned in 2015 under pressure from the EU any help to migrants north of the smuggler hub of Agadez, effectively closing the route. Now with strained relations with the EU since a military coup in July 2023, Niamey has decided to legalize cross-border traffic again. More than 160,000 migrants have left Agadez for Libya and Algeria in the January-April period, UN estimates show. Most migrants are workers from Niger seeking only seasonal employment in Libya but others such as Nigerians will be trying to reach Italy via Libya.

Geneva Barometer

Developments among Geneva-based international organisations from January to May 2024

The ‘Geneva Barometer’ takes an occasional look at selected developments among international organizations based in Geneva.

European assistance for crisis-ridden Lebanon

Lebanese and international criticism of the EU's new aid package is exaggerated

The EU's new support program for Lebanon expands on its previous commitment to the cedar state. In addition to supporting the provision of basic services (health, education, etc.) for people in need, the EU also wants to focus more on security and migration management. Since the agreement was widely portrayed in Europe and Lebanon as a kind of “refugee deal” to keep migrations away from European shores, the offer was met with rejection in Lebanon's heated domestic political climate. The country considers itself overwhelmed by the presence of 1.5 million Syrian refugees. If the program is implemented properly, it can help Lebanon deal with its economic and social problems and contributes to the strengthening of the Lebanese Armed Forces, one of the few still functioning governmental institutions.

Political polarization characterizes Belgium ahead of the elections

Wahlkampf im Lichte der EU-Ratspräsidentschaft

Am 9. Juni 2024 wird in Belgien gewählt – und zwar auf drei Ebenen: europäisch, national und regional[1]. Vor dem Hintergrund der im Juni endenden belgischen EU-Ratspräsidentschaft stellt sich die Frage, wo das Land einen Monat vor diesem Wahlmarathon steht. Aktuelle Umfragen deuten auf eine Polarisierung der Wählerschaft hin, die Prognosen für eine Regierungsbildung erschweren.

Fostering Security: NATO’s Reflection on the Southern Neighbourhood

In its 75th anniversary year, NATO is gearing up for its next Summit in Washington D.C this July, gathering leaders from all 32 Allies alongside presumably a large contingent of dignitaries from partner countries. The agenda promises a diverse array of discussions, with an expected significant focus on Russia’s aggressive war in Ukraine. However, beyond these pressing matters, other crucial issues will also be addressed. At the previous Vilnius Summit, held last summer, NATO Allies initiated a process to launch a comprehensive reflection process of the Alliance's relationship with the ‘Southern Neighbourhood.’ This reflection process aims to produce tangible proposals in time for the upcoming Summit. The reflection pro-cess is partly consistent of an external report written by experts that have been appointed by the Secretary General. However, this report is merely a part of the larger reflection process taking place internally.

Local Elections with National Impact

The beginning of damage control for the British Conservatives?

The recent local elections have unsurprisingly not provided the Conservative Party with a promising foundation for the upcoming parliamentary elections. They suffered significant losses in large parts of England. In only one of eleven major city regions will a Tory mayor operate in the future. In nationwide polls, the opposition Labour Party ranks a whopping 20 percentage points ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's party. Is there still hope for the British Conservatives, or is it now just about damage control?

Change of leadership in Singapore

Lawrence Wong takes over as Prime Minister from Lee Hsieng Loong

On May 15, former Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (51) will take over the reins of government in the island republic of Singapore. He succeeds Lee Hsieng Loong (72), who has led the city state since 2004, as only the fourth head of government in the country's almost sixty-year history since its founding in 1965. The handover of office has been prepared for a long time. Lee had already announced his intention to step down as Prime Minister in 2022. On 5 November last year, he made it clear that he would hand over his office to his deputy Lawrence Wong in November 2024 at the latest. In mid-April, the surprising announcement was made that Wong would be sworn in as the new prime minister on 15 May. The handover of office to Lawrence Wong, who is twenty years younger, marks the start of a generational change. Lee Hsieng Loong, the eldest son of state founder Lee Kuan Yew, is retiring from the front row of politics. Lee will nevertheless remain in the government cabinet in an advisory capacity as Senior Minister.

South Africa before the elections

New hope at the Cape?

On May 29, 2024, elections will be held in South Africa for the national assembly and all provincial parliaments. After years of economic decline, the country is in urgent need of a new direction. Polls suggest that Nelson Mandela's party, the ANC, will fall short of an ab-solute majority at national level for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994 and will rely on coalition partners to form a government. At the same time, the South African party spectrum is becoming increasingly fragmented, which also means more competition to pro-vide better solutions to the country's numerous challenges. Against this backdrop, the con-stellation in which South Africa will be governed in the future is uncertain, as various sce-narios are conceivable following the outcome of the elections.

Mexico ahead of the election

Problems and challenges

Presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in Mexico on June 2, 2024. Thousands of political offices will also be up for grabs at state and municipal level. Overall, these are the largest elections in the history of the world's largest Spanish-speaking country - and the stakes are correspondingly high. Claudia Sheinbaum (MORENA), the candidate chosen by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO for short) from the left-wing populist government camp, is currently leading relatively clearly in most published polls, while her rival Xóchitl Gálvez (PAN), who is running for a coalition of three opposition parties and civil society organizations, has made up some ground in recent weeks, but is not yet within striking distance. One thing is clear, however: Mexico will be ruled by a woman as head of state for the first time from October. There are hardly any other certainties, however, and internal security is under great pressure. Since the start of the election campaign, elected representatives and candidates have been murdered on the streets or attacked during campaign appearances. The local and national security forces are barely able to put a stop to the perfidious attacks by organized cartel criminals. While the nationwide election of almost 21,000 offices and the prospect of a female president actually symbolize Mexico's great progress as a democratic society, the country continues to struggle against considerable structural problems.