In Russia, the increasingly authoritarian regime is challenged by a populist anti-corruption agenda. Reaction to such challenges often involves crackdown on freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and the constitutional right to participate in state affairs. Traditional channels of political participation and accountability are narrowing down. At the same time, the state tends to encourage...
POPULISM, AUTHORITARIANISM AND THE REGRESSION OF LIBERAL DEMOCRACY
This panel analyses the impact of populist regimes in recent liberal democracies and compares this to the constitutionalist struggle in illiberal or authoritarian states. Global democratic regression has almost become a buzzword in view of the rise of right wing populism, characterised by nationalism, xenophobia, and aggression towards ‘others‘. Populist or anti-pluralist movements claim to...
China As A Champion of An Illiberal Rule of Law
As part of its ‘reform and opening up policy‘ initiated in 1978, the PRC started building a new legal system, modelled to a great extent after Western examples. In 1982, it adopted a new constitution, which has remained mostly the same with some amendments. While alternating between the creation of a true ‘rule of law‘...
Rupture or Continuity? On Reception of Rule of Law Standards in Poland 25 Years After the “Democratic“ Transition
The Polish democratic transition was portrayed as a shining example of the victory of liberal values over the socialist clientelistic authoritarianism. Yet, for the past two years the ruling Law and Justice party has been actively dismantling the system of checks and balances that was carefully put post-1989 and pre-EU accession. The easiness of this...
The Anatomy Of The Dual State in Turkey
Contemporary Turkey is marked by two parallel states and legal systems. One is the constitutional state that is supposed to be western-oriented and democratic, based on the rule of law, and loyal to Turkey‘s commitments to various transnational organizations, such as the CoE and the EU. The other one is a “prerogative state“ that has...
The Positioning of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Egypt on the International Rule of Law Scale
Measuring the human rights performances on the international rule of law scale on the part of only insufficiently democratised states – like Islamic Republic of Iran and Egypt – requires specific indications. These indicators help to classify the factual human rights practices of governments and judges of Supreme Constitutional Courts and analogue institutions, such as,...