Joseph D. Chianese (He, Him) CPA, MBT’s Post

Berlin, September 02, 2024, The Europe Today: In a significant political shift, voters in Germany's federal states of Thuringia and Saxony turned out in large numbers on Sunday, propelling the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to the top of the polls. This marks the first time a far-right party has finished first in a state election in Germany since World War II. #AfD #Berlin #Germany #Political #Politics

In my first opinion piece for Al Jazeera English, I explain how The New Popular Front (NFP), a coalition of left-wing parties, has emerged victorious in France's legislative elections, blocking the far-right National Rally (RN) from gaining control. Despite facing significant hostility and being painted as extremists, the NFP's win highlights a rejection of the far-right's agenda and a demand for meaningful social reforms. The left now has a crucial opportunity to address economic and social issues, though political challenges remain.

Back in July, I hosted Pompey At The Polls - alongside Dan Lodge and James Birdseye - for Portsmouth's Express FM with eight and a half hours of live overnight UK general election coverage. Of course, this had long been a personal ambition of mine. But, as with any decision you make in radio, this had to be an audience-driven project. National election coverage is an almost overcrowded market and the few who can be arsed to stay up all night couldn’t be more spoiled for choice across TV, radio and other digital streams / blogs - most of which is naturally far better resourced than a community radio station (even one supported by the local newspaper). To make this worth a listen, a clear point of difference had to be king. And that wouldn’t be hard to establish - after all, the whole station’s USP is always putting Portsmouth, as well as the smaller local communities which look to it, first above anywhere or anything else. In addition to the essential legal and compliance matters surrounding due impartiality and right of reply - which would allow us to be opinionated within an overall balanced programme / station - we wanted Pompey At The Polls to be accessible for those who show an interest but may not have extensive political knowledge and / or aren't across every detail. Our colleagues at The News, Portsmouth were across the latest developments over at the Guildhall as counting in both city constituencies took place. There was also a very large national media presence. The exit poll had Penny Mordaunt's Portsmouth North seat down as "too close to call" but with a 25% chance of her holding on and a 70% chance it would go Labour. Mordaunt ran for the Conservative Party leadership following Boris Johnson's resignation in the summer of 2022 and had been widely tipped as a future leader / potential PM ever since. She even took Sunak's place on prime-time BBC and ITV debates during the campaign. Throughout the night, we had endless reports including one that Labour's Amanda Martin had taken it by roughly a thousand votes. There was no recount, much to our surprise, and the result was declared just after 4am. Mordaunt had been defeated by 780 votes. The challenge is, while being so immersed in the national picture, for the local angle not to be an afterthought. Portsmouth was our show's key point of difference and we were speaking directly to people in the city, so this result had a far deeper meaning than it did to the likes of Sky, ITN, LBC and even regional BBC. Presenting my own show meant the political and media geek in me missed out on the traditional election night channel-hopping, but I can at least pay homage to Sky News whose resources - including quality TV coverage we were opting into (via IRN) for live declarations - were on point. https://lnkd.in/epG3uPum

Pro-European politicians need the Roma vote to counter the far-right surge in the upcoming elections. However, they have made too many mistakes, eroding the Roma’s trust in democracy, pushing many to abstain from voting or — even worse — pushing them into the arms of anti-European forces. Undoing all these wrongs in the run-up to the June election is unrealistic, but there are still things that could be done to make a difference. Read my article in Politico below. #romaforeurope2030

➡ (...) many leaders — especially in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis — have left the Roma in worse conditions than many populations in the global south. The latest data show, for example, that while the working poor in the EU make up 8.5 percent of the population, among the Roma, they account for 39 percent — nearly the same as in Sub-Saharan Africa (38 percent). ➡ (...) this level of poverty has been exploited for vote buying and coercion. And while it’s true that such undemocratic practices have also been used to sway the rural poor and other populations, the Roma across the EU have been disproportionately exposed to them. ➡ (...) most crucially — pro-EU politicians have too often remained silent when the far right has attacked the Roma. The early success of the conservative Jobbik party in Hungary and the League in Italy was primarily due to the weaponization of anti-Roma prejudice. These examples also suggest that pro-European leaders saw the far right as more of an aberration threatening marginalized communities than the early warning sign of a serious threat to themselves and the democratic system — how wrong they were! Read more

The continued ascendancy of the far-right in Bulgaria is discussed on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, with my commentary. In focus is how the far-right capitalizes on the historically distorted pro-Russian sentiments in the country; the normalization of extremist discourse beyond social media and why young people are increasingly harboring anti-democratic proclivities. https://lnkd.in/deafPssG

I slept very badly tonight - the results of the European elections are affecting me much more than I thought. I feel angry and confused. Pressure from the right in Europe, new elections in France, the AfD has managed to become the strongest force in eastern Germany, but what horrifies me more are the following results: 👶 Young voters were more likely to vote AfD in Germany, as were lower-income voters. What horrifies me is that the party program disadvantages precisely these voters. Why? Is it the simple messages, the perfect use of social media, the lack of political education? 🚫 There were still many protest voters who wanted to teach the other parties a lesson. Really? Do these voters still not care about the consequences, have they even considered them? I'm worried about my future and especially that of my children. Where will this all lead? I'm also at a loss for solutions, apart from  ➡ not getting tired of being present, discussing, communicating, daring to engage in discourse ➡ investing more in education ➡ prioritizing social media strategies for all democratic parties ➡ Simplify the messages, couldn't the "Wahl-o-mat" be turned into simple social media games, for example? And I have a big request for the democratic parties: stop working and ranting against each other. Work on common solutions, preserve our democracy. Prevent the past from repeating itself. How are you doing? #election #europe #democracy

Dive into the intricacies of South Korea's 2024 election cycle with the latest analysis by Emma Whitmyer for the Asia Society Policy Institute’s ‘The Ballot Box’. From dissecting election outcomes to unraveling the political dynamics shaping the Yoon government's future, this insightful piece offers a comprehensive overview. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eZbswc3z