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On 9th May it has been exactly five years since Malaysia saw its first democratic change of government since independence in 1957 following its 14th national election in 2018. What followed were five turbulent years, as Malaysia has had five governing coalitions and five prime ministers since the beginning of 2018. The 15th national elections were held on 19th November 2022 and were won by long-time opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. His now six-month-old governing coalition has not found it easy to satisfy the Malaysians' desire for both stability and genuine democratic change.
The last gubernatorial elections before the 2024 presidential election in the states of Coahuila and Estado de México confirmed the forecasts and polls before the election on 4 June. In Estado de México, the most populous state, MORENA candidate Delfina Gómez won by a wide margin, ending over 90 years of PRI rule. In Coahuila, however, the PRI candidate of the opposition coalition "Va por México", Manolo Jiménez, won as expected. With this event, the political focus and the corresponding speculation and debates are now also entirely on the presidential election due in June 2024 and thus on the succession to the incumbent president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO).
En la CPE, aprobada en el año 2009, Bolivia se constituye en un Estado Plurinacional, reconociendo la existencia de 36 lenguas e idiomas nativos en el territorio nacional. Además, refuerza una amplia gama de derechos para los pueblos indígena originario campesino en el país, demostrando la enorme diversidad cultural que tiene Bolivia. Para que la sociedad pueda transformarse de acuerdo a este importante marco jurídico constitucional, es de suma importancia que las ciudadanas y los ciudadanos conozcan sus derechos y deberes, que los interioricen y que apoyen su implementación para la construcción de una cultura política democrática. En este sentido, con el objetivo de fortalecer, socializar y difundir los contenidos de la CPE, la Fundación Konrad Adenauer (KAS), en colaboración con el Ministerio de Culturas y Turismo y el Viceministerio de Descolonización trabajó el año 2015 en la traducción de la CPE al idioma nativo Aymara incluyendo la Ley N°045 Contra el Racismo y toda forma de Discriminación. La publicación tuvo muy buena recepción por parte de instituciones públicas, Naciones y Pueblos Indígena originario campesinos de habla Aymara, Organizaciones Sociales y diferentes universidades, motivo por el cual se decide realizar esta tercera edición.
Dr. Dale Medearis is Senior Regional Planner for the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC). Two years ago, we published his paper on strategic international engagement at the local and regional level. Now, he revisits this topic with a close look at the relevance and potential of such cooperation and which benefits for a region's economy and technological and environmental status it can reap.
10 years ago, Vietnam's first earth observation satellite VNREDSAT-1 was launched into orbit with French-European support - a milestone for the emerging Southeast Asian country
2022 was the most violent year in Costa Rica's history. The number of homicides reached a record 656, which corresponds to a murder rate of 12.6 per 100,000 inhabitants, twelve percent higher than the previous year. In comparison, Germany recorded a homicide rate of 0.25 in 2022. It is to be feared that the increase in violent crimes is a longer-term trend that is far from having reached its peak. This year, the number of killings is already 43 per cent higher than last year. Experts fear that homicides will rise to 900 by the end of 2023. What is the reason for this surprising development in the Central American showcase country Costa Rica?
On May 21, 2023, Greece is going to elect a new Parliament. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has asked the President to dissolve the Vouli at the end of his 4-year term. There is a good chance that Mitsotakis will remain Prime Minister and be able to stay his course of stability, progress and growth; but opposition leader Tsipras is also trying to form a possible coalition of up to four parties. However, due to the changed electoral law and some uncertainties, a second ballot will very likely be necessary before a new government is formed.
Paraguay's voters have given the clietelistic-conservative Colorado Party an outright victory. Its candidate Santiago Peña was not only newly elected to the presidency with a clear majority, but can also count on an absolute majority in both chambers of parliament in the future. While a right-wing anti-establishment candidate performed surprisingly well, the political left and also the center are the big losers of these elections. The most important challenge facing the young new head of state will be to fulfill his promise of political renewal. His closeness to the former head of state Horacio Cartés, who has been accused of corruption, is his blind spot in this regard.
In research as well as in the political debate on consultative participation procedures such as citizens' councils, the discourse frequently centers on possible advantages and drawbacks of the procedures themselves, as well as on questions of legitimacy, decision-making competence, and effectiveness. However, researchers and policymakers rarely address the specific involvement of experts, and there has been little research conducted in this area. This publication aims to address this gap by exploring the functions that experts perform in consultative participation processes, identifying different role-profiles, and examining how experts perceive their role in practice.
Adam Kądziela, doktorant WNPiSM Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, jest autorem raportu badawczego na temat zachowań politycznych młodego pokolenia Polaków. Istotne jest, iż wyniki te sporządzone zostały na podstawie wywiadów przeprowadzonych przez Centrum Badań Markentingowych Indcator. Fundacja Adenauera jest partnerem tego projektu.
