In this opinion (in German language) for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung,DRI’s co-founders Michael Meyer-Resende and Dr. Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf comment on the debate whether Germany and Europe need a democracy foundation. They support the idea,arguing that while many foundations and initiatives work on wider democracy issues,there is none that specifically focuses on democratic rules of the game,taking a non-partisan perspective. Key concepts of democracy are challenged and pulled apart,such as majority rule,the rule of law and human rights.
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Thus,the Polish govement argues that the majority will should trump judicial independence. In the Catalonia crisis the independence movement claimed a clear democratic mandate,based on a slim majority gained in a deeply divided society through a questionable process. The Spanish govement in tu argued only with the rule of law,despite the fact that the then-ruling party had blocked better legal arrangements for Catalonia only some years before. A democracy foundation should provide a strong public voice upholding democratic rules of the game without aligning with any political current and should hold dialogues on democracy,in order to build bridges in a context of increasing political polarisation.
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