All eyes on CEE: The Three 2023 elections that may decide on the EU’s populist and illiberal trajectory in the coming years
After elections in Sweden and Italy last year that brought significant gains to a right-wing populist party in the former and led to a far-right populist government in the latter, the EU faces crucial elections in the Czech Republic, Poland and potentially Slovakia in 2023. Their outcomes may have important implications for the EU as they could further strengthen Europe’s populist, illiberal coalitions across Europe.
Orbán’s Fidesz party is undermining gender equality in Hungary
Self-proclaimed “conservatives” and members of the far-right like to promote the archaic worldview that women should be homemakers while men go to work to provide for their families. Recently, Orbán’s Hungary made the international headlines once again because the government-allied economic watchdog of the parliament released a report full of such sexist claims and narratives.
Autocracy and War: Russian-Middle Eastern ties and the Ukraine War
In the past few years, Middle Eastern governments have deepened their ties with the Kremlin. Vladimir Putin and his regime were equally enthusiastic about intervening in Middle Eastern politics and propping up the region’s autocracies to restore Russia’s status as a global superpower. Today, both sides collaborate on various political and security issues affecting the Middle East. This relationship now influences how various Middle Eastern governments respond to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The response has been mostly ambivalent, as most of the region’s governments see Russia as a valuable ally that they cannot afford to alienate.
