“Dictatorship? Yes, please!” Are Europeans bored with democracy?
Photo: Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Winston Churchill, the prime minister who led Great Britain through the turmoil of war, was once supposed to have said with his characteristic sneer that democracy was the worst possible system, but so far no better one has been invented. In Europe, those who would like to divorce democracy are raising their heads more and more courageously, and subsequent reports of international organizations alarm about the progressing erosion of democratic systems and further shifting of boundaries in political rivalry. Is European democracy in retreat?
At the end of June, the Else-Frenkel-Brunswik-Institut from Leipzig published the results of its research conducted on a representative group of residents of eastern German federal states. The survey result was shocking. “For national interests, in certain circumstances, dictatorship is a better form of government” – almost 30 percent of respondents agreed with this formulation. surveyed Germans from the former GDR. Putting the words “Germany” and “dictatorship” side by side evokes only bad associations in Europe. And although it seemed that the largest economy of the European Union was exceptionally resistant to political radicalism precisely because of its history, the AfD began to grow in strength – Alternative for Germany, an extreme right-wing party ready to “end the politics of apologizing and being ashamed of the past”.
However, Germany is not the only example of a country where democratic institutions are faced with growing criticism or an open attempt to undermine their legitimacy. According to reports by the Freedom House organization, which monitors the level of democracy and freedom in individual countries, the situation in Hungary, as well as in Serbia and Turkey, has deteriorated significantly in recent years (Freedom House draws attention to elements such as the rule of law, the electoral process, freedom of the media, transparency and pluralism).
Leaders elected by democratic methods merge with the state and its institutions, and the passing years make this personal union seem difficult to break. And although a part of the society still opposes the dominant role of the local autocrat, it is either doomed to failure, entering an uneven battle in which the ruling party controls the media and infiltrates the only right message through public offices, or with its manifested powerlessness, it wants to influence external observers, without even joining this (un)democratic fight.
Urn with ballots during electionsDarek Delmanowicz/PAP
The first example is perfectly illustrated by the electoral defeat of the united Hungarian opposition during the parliamentary elections last April. The multi-current, eclectic coalition, united only by opposition to Viktor Orban, did not even come close to Fidesz’s result, and its internal heterogeneity gave the government media free ammunition. The second one is the strengthening of the power of Aleksander Vučić in Serbia in 2020, when the opposition boycotted the elections, explaining that the party of the incumbent president entwined all spheres of public life, thus preventing fair political competition.
And although contemporary autocrats share a certain form of nationalism and a declared fight for the supremacy of their nation, they all willingly cooperate with each other, posing with a smile for photos, assuring their cooperation and presenting the latter as an example of effective administration of the state.
Simple answers to complex questions
– We can see the disappointment of some citizens with the functioning of democracy in their countries, institutions and political decisions – explains Dr. Maria Wincławska, professor at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, researcher of political systems. – In recent years, we have been observing in Europe a certain consent of some citizens to turn away from democratic standards. This is accompanied by such phenomena as an increase in populism and public support for populist parties, both on the right and left of the political scene – he adds.
Dr. Bartosz Rydliński, founder of the Centrum im. Daszyński and lecturer at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw:
– In Europe, the Christian Democratic center-right groups and the social-democratic center-left are still dominant. Elections are won sometimes by one, sometimes by the other, but the governing program differs in a minimal way. Groundbreaking reforms, which evoke a range of social emotions, were replaced by technocratic management, the proverbial “warm water in the tap”. This does not suit all citizens.
Continue reading after logging in
Access premium content free and no ads