The election super year is marked by more fear than hope

The election super year is marked by more fear than hope – due to the rise of the right, the strengthening of autocracies and political elites who, lacking solutions to crises and conflicts, are putting the rule of law on the back burner. A Donald Trump victory would push the issue of democracy out of the narrative in this region, and all positive examples, such as Poland, show that the fight for electoral conditions and the quality of elections cannot wait. Putin’s blueprint for a new world and big tech authoritarianism are just part of today’s complex situation.

The good news include greater citizen participation in elections and the survival of democracies that have managed to withstand the pandemic and the migrant crisis, according to some of the conclusions at the start of CRTA’s conference “In effect, do we elect?”. Participants in the first panel Agon Maliqi, political analyst and journalist, Boško Jakšić, foreign policy commentator, Ivana Dragičević, foreign policy commentator for N1, and Zselyke Csaky, senior research fellow at the Center for European Reform – also reflected on how autocrats misuse the electoral process as a weapon, agreeing that everyone will feel the consequences of the U.S. elections.

Hybrid regimes have found new ways of manipulation, and this has proven to be a bigger problem than the warnings about artificial intelligence or disinformation, as there have been no major electoral shocks because of them, concluded Zselyke Csaky.

A great danger arises when a society believes that liberal democracy is not part of its identity. The European Union must play a key role, said Maliqi, and “show that the doors are open, that we belong here”:

“Undemocratic forces are taking over the public space, and I don’t see political or philosophical imagination that could oppose the power coming from an autocratic world that is larger in numbers, rich in resources and creating a new world”, said Ivana Dragičević.

Agon Maliqi, speaking about leaders in the region, said they have too much power and put conflict at the center of politics.

“We no longer have an external anchor for democracy, we used to look to the EU, but that reference point no longer exists, it doesn’t have the same credibility”, warned Maliqi.

The results of the U.S. elections will be felt worldwide, including in the Western Balkans. The fear of repeated unrest is real, the speakers noted, as society is divided to the point of living in two parallel realities.

“It’s no surprise that people here support Trump, because they rightly expect that Trump would back all the autocratic, nationalist policies here”, said Boško Jakšić.

With ongoing crises, the EU is struggling to find unanimity, in part because of governments like those in Hungary and Slovakia.

“It is even more important for the EU to find a way to unite, democracy and human rights are important and will play an even greater role. Issues requiring unanimity and coordination include climate change and foreign policies”, Csaky stressed.

In the fight against crises, the importance of free and fair elections must not be overshadowed, an idea echoed by several speakers.

“This is a real opportunity to express the need for changes to the electoral law, as well as the necessity of improving electoral conditions. There is no time to waste. We cannot wait until 2027 for these processes to be activated. This work needs to be done today and tomorrow, and I don’t see that enthusiasm”, Jakšić noted.