Elections and parties
IMAGO/Ritzau Scanpix
Tuesday’s election to the Inatsisartut – the parliament of Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat) – resulted in resounding defeat for the country’s left wing government parties and a landslide victory for liberal party Demokraatit. At the time of writing, many questions remain unanswered about who will form government and how the result will affect Greenland’s path to independence.
Enjoying a swing of over 21 percent, Demokraatit obtained 29.9 percent of all votes cast – more than three times their result in Greenland’s...
read more "Greenland: Parliamentary elections deal blow to left wing government"
read more "Greenland: Parliamentary elections deal blow to left wing government"
IMAGO/Ritzau Scanpix
Caught between a Danish colonial past and threats from Donald Trump’s US, Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat) will hold elections to its parliament, the Inartsiartut, today, on March 11. Greenland’s political status within the Kingdom of Denmark is difficult to explain, especially to those who are not from Denmark or its Northern Atlantic territories. Yet, understanding this dynamic is crucial to grasping what is at stake in Greenland’s elections.
“Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark,” states Wikipedia—a ...
read more "Greenland: “It’s the white man—send him home!”"
read more "Greenland: “It’s the white man—send him home!”"
MARTIN HEINLEIN / DIE LINKE via flickr
Version française ci-dessous
Co-chairs Ines Schwerdtner and Jan van Aken on the party’s remarkable comeback
When we announced our candidacy for the chair of Die Linke last summer, the situation seemed hopeless: the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) had split from the party and we were limping into the state elections in eastern Germany. Last Sunday, only six months later, we won just under 8.8 percent in the federal elections. That was no coincidence.
The party congress in Halle already signalled the beginning of a transformation. The mood was great, ...
read more "How Die Linke Turned the Tide"
read more "How Die Linke Turned the Tide"
imago images/Achille Abboud
The 2025 German federal election, held some eight months ahead of schedule following the collapse of the governing coalition late last year, largely proceeded as expected, with losses for the coalition partners, gains for the centre-right, and big gains for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Only the impressive result for Die Linke proved to be a real surprise.
At 82.5 percent (+6.2 percent), voter turnout was significantly higher than in the last federal elections (2021: 76.4, 2017: 76.2). It would appear that social ...
read more "The 2025 German Election: First Impressions and Implications"
read more "The 2025 German Election: First Impressions and Implications"
IMAGO/Seeliger
Note: This article uses Icelandic naming conventions. Most persons referenced do not have family names and are therefore primarily referred to by their given name.
On Saturday 30 November, Icelanders went to the polls to elect a new Althing (parliament). The second election to be held this year—following June’s presidential election—the vote came ten months earlier than expected: on Sunday 13 October, after months of significant tensions within the governing coalition, Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson ...
read more "Scratching the Seven-Year Itch: Iceland votes to change government"
read more "Scratching the Seven-Year Itch: Iceland votes to change government"
John Nielsen
Despite being one of the first countries to sign the UN Refugee Convention, Denmark has also been a frequent first-mover on harsh immigration policies in Europe. An increasing number of political parties – not all of them right-wing or nationalist – across Europe point to the “Danish model” as an example of successful migration and asylum policy. Even Sweden – once seen as a more humane counterpoint – is now copying Danish policies in detail. In reality, the “Danish model” would not work if copied by other ...
read more "Why Europe should avoid modelling its migration policy on Denmark"
read more "Why Europe should avoid modelling its migration policy on Denmark"
IMAGO/Pacific Press Agency
Although European elections are traditionally considered as being second-order in nature, it is quite clear that at least those of 2024 have had a clear first-order impact in several European countries, with the snap national elections in France and the subsequent formation of the New Popular Front by the progressive parties being the most prominent example of this.
Greece is no exception here. Of course, it is not uncommon for European elections to have a clear national character, for example with respect to the electoral agenda and the ...
read more "Second-Order Elections with a First-Order Impact"
read more "Second-Order Elections with a First-Order Impact"
The political systems in Cyprus — both on a party level and as a whole — have undergone continuous changes over recent years. The most significant shifts include the declining electoral and political influence of traditional parties over the past 10–15 years and the rise in voter abstention.
These changes are better understood as part of a continuum rather than a sudden break from the past, characterized by both continuities and discontinuities as well as back-and-forth and zig-zag movements. Moreover, these developments should be viewed as ...
read more "Twists and Turns amidst Continuity"
read more "Twists and Turns amidst Continuity"
IMAGO/CTK Photo
In the Czech Republic, elections to the European Parliament are among the least popular with voters. In 2014, turnout was 18.2 percent, and in 2019, it was 28.7 percent. Surveys for this year estimate it will be somewhere between 20 and 30 percent.
This means that the European elections are mainly the arena of highly motivated, i.e., ideological voters. Thus, European issues themselves are always partly themes of domestic politics, which is also reflected in the three main issues that dominate the current political debate.
A Growing Cancer
The ...
read more "Czech Politics and the European Elections"
read more "Czech Politics and the European Elections"
Flicker / KPÖ
If you ask a random passer-by on the streets of Salzburg what sets the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) apart, they will probably have quite a bit to say — regardless of whether they vote for the KPÖ or not.
read more "Setting Ourselves Apart"
read more "Setting Ourselves Apart"