Volume 2 (No 1)
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Browsing Volume 2 (No 1) by Subject "elections"
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ItemChallenges to the EU in 2017: Brexit implementation, populism, and the renewed attempt at advancing the social dimension of the European integration project(Global Campus, 2018-10) Altafin, Chiara ; Lamer, WiebkeOver the last decade, the European Union has faced a number of challenges, several of which have also dominated the regional political climate during 2017. For the first time in history, one of its member states is leaving the EU. In many other EU countries, the phenomena of populism and Euroscepticism are on the rise, while terrorist attacks continue to occur, the migration crisis continues to question EU solidarity, and social and economic inequalities are increasing. In light of these manifold challenges, this article examines the EU’s renewed attempt to advance the social dimension of the European project against the backdrop of two related political developments: the implementation of Brexit and the election outcomes in key member states in 2017. Brexit and the rising influence of populist, Eurosceptic parties pose a threat to European integration and effective political leadership, which in turn hinders the ability of the EU to tackle the challenges it faces. At the same time, these political developments highlight the importance of the social dimension of Europe for a large part of the electorate. Brexit and the election outcomes in The Netherlands, France, the UK and Germany in 2017 demonstrate that many citizens are concerned about the social implications of globalisation, urbanisation and digitalisation, particularly in light of the financial and economic crises that many EU countries had to confront over the last decade. The final section of the article examines the EU’s renewed pledge to strengthen its social dimension through the European Pillar of Social Rights. It considers that the political landscape has started to shift towards a more social stance during 2017 and argues that the operationalisation of the European Pillar could revitalise the EU narrative and ground for social policies and, accordingly, the European integration project, which needs to deepen its social dimension in order to survive and prove that it is able to enhance the living standards of European citizens. Key words: European Union; Brexit; elections; political parties; populism; social Europe; European Pillar of Social Rights
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ItemSelected developments in human rights and democratisation during 2017: Sub-Saharan Africa(Global Campus, 2018-10) Nyarko, Michael Gyan ; Makunya, TrésorAbstract: This article reviews selected developments in human rights and democratisation in sub-Saharan African during 2017. It discusses the presidential elections held in Kenya, Liberia, Angola, Rwanda and Somalia/ Somaliland, noting in particular democratic gains in Liberia, Angola and Somalia where elections resulted in changes of government, which brought in new leadership. It further notes the democratic crises in Zimbabwe, where President Mugabe was removed from power through military intervention, and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where instability continued due to efforts by incumbent President Kabila to prolong his term of office. It reports on incidents of protests, recurrent internet shutdowns and interference with the freedom of expression and right of access to information in various African countries. The authors identify the cause of the rift between the African Union and the International Criminal Court as the Al-Bashir warrant issued pursuant to a Security Council Resolution, and recommend that the AU should focus on petitioning the Security Council to withdraws its referral, rather than to persist with its current onslaught against the ICC. In this context, they discuss the decision of ICC Pre-Trial Chamber, which clarified that there is no conflict between article 27(2) and article 98 of the ICC Statute in relation to state parties to the Statute or states referred to the ICC by the Security Council. As far as women’s rights are concerned, the article traces significant normative and jurisprudential gains, in particular the adoption of the Joint General Comment on ending child marriage, the Guidelines on combating gender-based violence and its consequences, and the decision of the ECOWAS Court of Justice against Nigeria denouncing gender-based discrimination as a violation of the right to dignity and non-discrimination. Key words: human rights; democracy; sub-Saharan Africa; elections; mass atrocities; accountability; women’s rights