Mimi Mihăilescu
Gypsy folk-pop – manele – played a key role in Romania’s 2024 presidential elections. In Roma tradition, manele expresses celebration and resilience. But Mimi Mihăilescu argues that for decades, Romania's politicians have exploited this musical genre for their own ends. Read more
Camil Ungureanu
Camil Ungureanu and Delia Dumitrica examine the phenomenon of Diana Șoșoacă, Romania's far-right strongwoman leader and TikTok sensation. While the populist right tends to champion traditional gender roles, Șoșoacă is crafting fresh gender narratives that resonate with female voters, Read more
Mimi Mihăilescu
In an unexpected twist to Romania’s 2024 presidential election, Călin Georgescu, virtually unknown a year ago, has emerged as a serious contender. Georgescu's ascent has been marked by antisemitic rhetoric, anti-Western discourse, and a sophisticated disinformation strategy. This, argues Mimi Mihăilescu, reveals the vulnerabilities of modern politics to social media manipulation. Read more
Dragomir Stoyanov
Liberal democracy is backsliding in another EU member state. After more than a decade of GERB-party governance in Bulgaria – and the erosion of democracy and media freedom – the latest elections show how far the country is struggling to guarantee free and fair election process. Dragomir Stoyanov and Milen Lyubenov take a deep dive. Read more
Mimi Mihăilescu
Far-right Romanian presidential candidate George Simion is not just running a campaign, he’s waging a meme war. In today’s digital age, argues Mimi Mihăilescu, the way politicians communicate with the public has fundamentally shifted – and internet memes are emerging as powerful weapons for shaping public perception and discourse. Read more
Ivaylo Dinev
On Sunday 9 June 2024, Bulgaria went to the polls for the sixth parliamentary elections in three years. Bulgaria's political crisis, however, is far from over, writes Ivaylo Dinev Read more
Dóra Oprics
Dóra Oprics explores the 2X civil society campaign in Hungary in 2022, which resulted in 1.7 million Hungarians successfully invalidating an exclusionary child protection referendum. The outcome reveals insights into the mobilising powers of grassroots activism against attempts to demonise the LGBTQIA+ community Read more
Max Steuer
The Slovak Constitutional Court has – temporarily, at least – succeeded in halting policies driving the country towards illiberalism. Max Steuer argues that this decision, and its political context, resemble developments in late-1990s Slovakia. The Court showed resilience, but it might not suffice if Slovakia’s illiberals learn from the experience Read more
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