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On the last day of February 2023, Nikos Christodoulides was officially sworn in as President of the Republic of Cyprus. Two days earlier, he published the members of his government. Cyprus experienced an election campaign unprecedented in decades, which brought a surprise in the 1st round and the danger of erosion for the previously ruling party DISY.
In Georgia, 8 March is a holiday on which women in particular are traditionally given flowers. This year it was different in the capital Tbilisi: Instead of flowers, many young Georgian women received tear gas and water cannons. A large, peaceful demonstration, carried mainly by students, was violently broken up during the night by a brutal intervention of special police units. Apparently surprised by the massive pressure from the street, the ruling party withdrew the law, but the "red line" may have already been crossed.
In mid-January, shortly before the traditional Vietnamese New Year festival of Tet, news of the resignation of former President Nguyen Xuan Phuc drew some political attention to the one-party state, which is otherwise characterized by political stability and economic dynamism. The resignation of the president, apparently in the context of an anti-corruption campaign, made it necessary to appoint a new head of state. On March 2, Vietnam's National Assembly confirmed 52-year-old Vo Van Thuong as the new president with 487 out of 488 votes in an extraordinary session. Thuong, a dyed-in-the-wool communist, is said to be a confidant of Nguyen Phu Trong, the 78-year-old general secretary of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).
Women's Day is traditionally celebrated in Romania on 8 March. The lack of equal opportunities and equal rights for women in Romanian society is a topic discussed on this day. In addition, this day is also celebrated as Mother's Day. Children paint, do handicrafts and sing for their mothers. There are flowers, chocolates and recognition from family, friends and colleagues. In our report, we focus on the socio-political aspects of Women's Day. Unfortunately, the situation of women in Romania is not rosy.
At the beginning of March, a new parliament was elected in Estonia. The election campaign was largely determined by the war in Ukraine and security policy issues. The Estonian Reform Party won the elections with 31.1 per cent of the vote. Kaja Kallas, the party's leader and prime minister, was confirmed in office. However, the real winner of the election is Eesti 200, which will enter the Estonian parliament for the first time. Overall, voter turnout increased compared to the 2019 elections. Never before have so many votes been cast online as this year; a new method of calculating votes was also used for the first time. Politically, the result provides a basis for a possible deepening split in Estonian society - especially in the north-east of the country.
„We are no longer in a political debate, but on the brink of constitutional and social collapse“ - Israel am Rande eines verfassungsrechtlichen und gesellschaftlichen Zusammenbruchs - so der israelische Staatspräsident Jitzchak Herzog in einer emotionalen Fernsehansprache vom 12. Februar, die die Dramatik der aktuellen innenpolitischen Situation in Israel verdeutlicht. Anlass dieser - für israelische Staatspräsidenten eher ungewöhnlichen - Rede an die Nation war die andauernde Debatte um die von der Regierung Benjamin Netanjahu geplante Justizreform. Diese hat das Land in eine historische Verfassungskrise und Krise der inneren Verfasstheit gleichermaßen gestürzt und stellt die Demokratie vor große Herausforderungen.
It was not only at the last CDU party conference that women's quotas were passionately debated. The question of how to achieve an adequate representation of women in the political arena is also driving Latin American parties. This is especially true for centre-right parties, which are looking for their own answers to the clearly audible feminist movements in the region.
Die CDU steht vor großen Herausforderungen. Wie sieht die Zukunft der Partei aus? Was sind ihre Antworten auf die Fragen der Zeit? Der Blick in die Geschichte zeigt, was die CDU stark gemacht hat und wofür sie steht.
The findings presented in this comprehensive study illustrate that the challenges faced by women in the political parties reflect similar challenges to those faced by women in the past. The reality of women in the political parties have not changed much over time, which shed light on why the political domain appears as the biggest gender gap compared to other domains. Despite educational advancement in the country, women continue to lag behind men in politics.
