Latest Democracy News
Southern Africa elections brought big changes in 2024
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — In Southern Africa, where democracy remains relatively stable, elections held in 2024 saw long-governing liberation parties struggling to survive. Across Africa, power struggles involving military governments, coup attempts and armed conflict are common, but...
Former Greek royal family expresses 'deep emotion' after regaining citizenship
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Members of Greece’s former royal family expressed “deep emotion” Monday at a decision to reinstate their Greek citizenship, ending a decades-old dispute with the country’s government. Greece abolished the monarchy in a 1974 referendum and the former...
Kosovo election authority bans main ethnic Serb party from parliamentary vote
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s election authority on Monday barred the main ethnic Serb party from competing in the upcoming parliamentary election, justifying the move by pointing to its nationalist stance and close ties to Serbia. The Central Election Commission declined to...
What will Syria's future look like? The answer could lie in other Arab countries' recent pasts
CAIRO (AP) — Even with hopes running high, so much can go wrong when a country ousts a longtime dictator and tries to start anew. The Middle Eastern and North African nations that attempted to transition to democracy in recent years can attest to that. Now it's Syria's turn to try...
An ethnic armed group in western Myanmar claims to have captured a major regional army headquarters
BANGKOK (AP) — A powerful ethnic armed group in western Myanmar claimed Friday to have scored a major victory in the war against the ruling military, even as neighboring nations at a meeting in Thailand were discussing efforts to end the conflict peacefully. The capture by the...
Diplomatic spat erupts after Hungary gives asylum to Polish politician suspected of corruption
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Hungary has given political asylum to a Polish opposition politician who is wanted on suspicions of corruption, triggering a diplomatic spat that worsened on Friday. Poland's government decried Hungary's decision as a “hostile act,” and Prime Minister...
A power grab by Republicans in North Carolina becomes a referendum on democracy in the states
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Democrats in North Carolina were celebrating big wins in the swing state after the November election, including victories in races for governor and other top statewide offices. But the political high didn’t last long. Republican lawmakers are stripping away...
Thailand hosts regional talks to find solutions to Myanmar's bloody civil war
BANGKOK (AP) — Two days of meetings on Myanmar ’s violent political crisis began Thursday in the Thai capital Bangkok, the latest in a long series of regional talks that have made no headway in restoring peace to the war-torn Southeast Asian nation. Myanmar has been wracked by...
Manhattan man pleads guilty to helping establish secret Chinese police station in NYC
NEW YORK (AP) — A Manhattan resident has pleaded guilty to helping establish a secret police station in New York City on behalf of the Chinese government. Chen Jinping, 60, entered the guilty plea on a single count of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government in...
Democracies across the globe are at a crossroads, as authoritarians seek to chip away at freedoms
In November, the world's most powerful democracy elected as its next president a man who schemed to overturn its last presidential election. A month later, South Koreans swarmed their legislature to block their president's attempt to impose martial law. The contrast sums up a year...
