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NL First test for new government in Armenia
Last Sunday, local elections took place in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. This would not normally be big news, were it not for the fact that these were the first elections since the peaceful revolution in the country earlier this year. AND the fact that some 40% of all voters live in the capital. This election was therefore seen as a first real test for the post-revolutionary government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinjan. Especially since after taking office in May, following massive protests led by him, he set early parliamentary elections as one of his priorities. These, he said, will take place before May 2019. The Yerevan elections were thus a milestone because they would provide preliminary answers to two crucial questions: is the country indeed freer and more democratic than before, and can the newly-elected Prime Minister still count on the massive support of his people in the early parliamentary elections?
To Censor or Not to Censor, That is the Question
In his annual Direct Line on Thursday, June 7th, Russia's President Vladimir Putin dedicated four hours to addressing complaints, questions and concerns by Russian citizens on live television. The questions were submitted on a rolling basis per text message, through the website moskva-putinu.ru or on live video call, and were aired on screen. As opposed to the previous years, the Kremlin decided not to include a live audience, but instead to expand in regards to ministers and governors who were put on conference call in relevant matters. The Direct Line is a carefully mapped out event, allowing no room for improvisation, and every step is carefully staged to achieve a goal. Thus, certain aspects that may seem unpredicted to viewers serve a clear purpose. Overall, various aspects of the Direct Line formidably show that Putin is pursuing a new strategy to place himself at the front of his government, and the format of the show is arguably a tool to achieve the goal of both uniting his people and improving his image among youth and critics.
Political Café Armenia: A revolution of love and solidarity
In the Netherlands, the recent political upheaval in Armenia has largely stayed out of the news. High time, therefore, to dig a little deeper into recent events. And what better place for that that a Political Café? In a well-filled Humanity House, the FMS organised a very interesting evening full of strong analyses, gripping stories and musical highlights on 25 June. Under the watchful eye of moderator Arjen Berkvens, the audience learned more about the revolution.
#TAMAM - Turkey's Social Media Stays Strong
Turkey's President Erdoğan was re-elected as head of government for the next five years, and his next term is bound to continue the streak of limiting the freedom of press and prosecuting opponents. Throughout the election campaigns, opposition parties were seriously limited by the ongoing state of emergency, and had to resort to creative methods to attract voters. In fact, oppositional parties expressed such energy that, until the results of the elections rolled in on Monday, June 25th, observers speculated that there was a real chance of challenging Erdoğan's majority rule. Although Turkey remains a polarised country, social media has become the go-to approach for change-makers.
Armenia's Velvet Revolution
On 8 May, after weeks of mass protests, a new prime minister was appointed in Armenia: Nikol Pashinjan, the leader of the Armenian Velvet Revolution. Driving the protests were students and other young activists. The FMS asked one of those activists, 20-year-old Ozheni Avetisyan, to write about her experience of this revolution. Want to read Avetisyan article? Then click on read more.
Revolution in Armenia
After 11 days of mass protests in Armenia against Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, the latter decided to resign on 23 April. After a brief euphoria and celebrations in the streets, however, it appeared that the ruling party had no intention of giving up power by doing so. Although it admitted not to put forward its own prime ministerial candidate, it would still consider which candidate it would support, although there was only one candidate: protest leader Nikol Pashinyan.
Ukraine: four years on
In 2014, the revolution, 'Euromaidan', took place in Ukraine against Russia's wishes. In response, Russia took Crimea and war broke out in eastern Ukraine. What has been achieved in the past four years since that revolution? Or is the country still at a standstill? The Euromaidan's aim was to democratise the country, fight corruption and implement reforms, but has it succeeded? What are the current problems and what is the country up against?
In Belarus, you can celebrate Independence Day in a police van
Around Minsk's national theatre on Sunday 25 March, everything you saw was red and white. There was no escaping the flags in the colours of the Belarusian People's Republic, which was founded exactly 100 years ago. That was reason for many people to celebrate with a big concert, but not for everyone.
Fake news in Romania
Spreading false messages to influence their recipients is as old as the road to Rome. The communists, whose legacy is still present in Eastern Europe, liked it. But what are the typically Romanian sides of this phenomenon?
It is five to 12 for Moldova
On 8 and 9 February, we organised a fact-finding mission to Moldova. In Europe's poorest country struggling with massive corruption, an ongoing conflict between the president and parliament, and a divided population , parliamentary elections are scheduled this autumn. The elections will show whether the pro-Russian president will be able to consolidate his power by winning a majority in parliament, or whether the pro-European parties can convince voters to give them a little longer to implement promised reforms and improvements. So the stakes are quite high, while faith in politics has been declining for years and the popularity ratings of some leading politicians are running into the single digits.