All posts tagged: Judiciary

Russia-aligned Rumen Radev set to win Bulgarian election – POLITICO

Russia-aligned Rumen Radev set to win Bulgarian election – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

In his remarks after voting on Sunday morning, Radev said the election was an opportunity to “take back” the country from oligarchs, but also called for relations of “mutual respect” with Moscow, based on Russia’s role in liberating Bulgaria from the Ottoman empire in 1878.   While these positions have helped him build up a base of support at home, he has avoided direct confrontation with the West and has generally fallen in step with the European mainstream when attending European Council meetings in Brussels. European funds are vital to the EU’s poorest member country and Bulgarian leaders have traditionally avoided any provocative antics in Brussels in the style of outgoing Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán. In the days before the election, the former MiG-29 pilot pushed back against the accusations that he was pro-Russian. “I don’t see what kind of pro-Russian position I have. I have completely pro-Bulgarian positions, I have pro-European positions,” he said. He refuses to go to into coalition with Bulgaria’s two most prominent politicians — former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and …

Fighter pilot Rumen Radev looks to break Bulgaria’s political deadlock – POLITICO

Fighter pilot Rumen Radev looks to break Bulgaria’s political deadlock – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Eclectic supporters Despite years of speculation that he would go for the prime minister’s job, Radev only finally revealed his Progressive Bulgaria project in March. While Radev doesn’t formally lead Progressive Bulgaria, he is unmistakably its face. The movement features a motley assembly of politicians close to him or some who changed their allegiance, and also includes military figures, newcomers and former sports personalities. Only six women lead party lists across the country’s 31 electoral districts. “His face is everywhere, which is probably what matters, because nobody else is recognizable,” said Dimitar Bechev, a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe. Progressive Bulgaria has attracted an eclectic range of backers. Polls show it has drawn some supporters of the pro-Russian far-right Revival party. Ahmed Dogan, the founder of the ethnic Turkish DSP party and now a major rival of Peevski, has also expressed his support. And VMRO, a smaller nationalist grouping, has formally endorsed Radev’s party. Yet the party’s program offers few specifics, and Radev has not positioned Progressive Bulgaria clearly on the political spectrum. His economic …

Orbán’s 16-year rule over Hungary ends in crushing election defeat – POLITICO

Orbán’s 16-year rule over Hungary ends in crushing election defeat – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Orbán conceded, with tears in his eyes, saying: “However it turned out, we will serve our country and the Hungarian nation from the opposition.” If the current margin of victory holds, Magyar will secure a supermajority in parliament that will allow him to unravel key features of Orbán’s “illiberal democracy” — demolishing the prime minister’s tight control over the judiciary, state companies and the media. Orbán’s departure will come as a huge relief to the EU, whose systemic weaknesses he has exposed and exploited for years, most recently by helping Putin block €90 billion of European support to Ukraine. A gleeful European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced: “Europe’s heart is beating stronger in Hungary tonight.” A heavy loss for the Hungarian premier will also deliver a painful blow to Trump’s MAGA movement, which has viewed Hungary’s prime minister as a talismanic trailblazer for its own brand of anti-immigrant, Christian-oriented nationalism.   Brussels officials have long accused Orbán of undermining key pillars of Hungarian democracy — from the judiciary to the media — and …

EU poised to slash up to €1.5B in funding to Serbia over democracy fears – POLITICO

EU poised to slash up to €1.5B in funding to Serbia over democracy fears – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Tensions flared further in December when President Vučić snubbed an EU-Western Balkans summit. Vučić, who has maintained close ties with Moscow throughout its war with Ukraine, bemoaned the sluggish pace of negotiations for EU membership. In a joint article with his Albanian counterpart in February he said he would prefer to pursue closer economic alignment with the EU, such as joining the single market and free travel zone, rather than full political membership. Kos rejected those proposals, arguing that significant reforms would still need to be delivered to make that happen. Then, last month, Serbia came under fire over reports of violence and irregularities during local elections, along with a police raid on a university that saw hundreds of students clash with law enforcement. An EU official said those recent events, along with Serbia’s continued cooperation with Moscow, had proven to be a tipping point for Brussels’ relations with Belgrade and had triggered a toughening of the EU executive’s stance. “As a candidate country, we also expect Serbia to stand with us on foreign policy …

How Viktor Orbán laid traps to stop his successor from running Hungary – POLITICO

How Viktor Orbán laid traps to stop his successor from running Hungary – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The constitutional court is a prime example of how Orbán can make life difficult for Magyar, as Fidesz has appointed all of its 15 justices, including a former Fidesz defense minister. The Curia, Hungary’s supreme court, is headed by András Varga, who was appointed by the Fidesz-controlled parliament. Any laws a Magyar government attempts to pass could fall foul of the top courts. “Because of the partiality of the Supreme Court or at least its president, and the constitutional court, this will be a very difficult battle for Tisza,” said Adrienn Laczó, a former judge who resigned in November 2024 in protest over the lack of judicial independence. Additionally, Orbán’s lawmakers in December strengthened the veto power of President Sulyok, who was appointed in 2024 for a five-year term. Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok (center) inspects a military honour guard during a flag-hoisting ceremony in front of the parliament in Budapest, on March 15, 2026. | Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images “Orbán has been worst-scenario planning in case he’s defeated,” said Kim Lane Scheppele, a constitutional …

How Viktor Orbán became Vladimir Putin’s best friend in the EU – POLITICO

How Viktor Orbán became Vladimir Putin’s best friend in the EU – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Metamorphosis Molnár, now an academic and a slam poetry champion, highlights an unremitting drive for success in his college-mate. Over lunch in an old-fashioned Hungarian bistro near the U.S. embassy in Budapest’s historic fifth district, the 62-year-old chose his words carefully, plucking out the adjective “diligent” to describe the young Orbán’s determination, capacity for hard work and attention to detail. Not that he couldn’t be fun in his college days, Molnár added. The young Orbán went to illicit underground dances — a form of youth rebellion frequently surveilled by the state’s security police. And despite little interest in art and literature, he was keen to get involved in a performance of German-born writer Peter Weiss’ “How Mr. Mockinpott Was Cured of His Sufferings” — a satire about an ordinary man’s struggles in an oppressive society. Like Szelényi, Molnár said there was nothing back then to give any hint of Orbán’s subsequent political journey from liberalism to MAGA’s European darling. “Except, the overwhelming ambition was there,” he observed.  “I think it’s what drives him to go …

Italy’s opposition sees its chance to beat Meloni. But it needs a leader, and a plan. – POLITICO

Italy’s opposition sees its chance to beat Meloni. But it needs a leader, and a plan. – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Impromptu alliances Campaigning against Meloni’s judicial reforms was an easy rallying point for the opposition, as they could all pile on the prime minister for attacking independent state institutions. In Rome’s Piazza Barberini on Monday night, opposition leaders and activists from several centrist and leftist parties gathered to celebrate a result few had considered likely just weeks earlier. Supporters waved party flags and chanted as leaders from across the political spectrum shared a stage in a rare display of unity. But the fraternity shown on the piazza masked deeper divisions: The coalition that came together to defeat Meloni in the referendum remains far from agreeing on a common national program, or a shared candidate for prime minister. The on-again-off-again grouping often diverges sharply on issues such as military spending and support for Ukraine, as well as economic policy, with a significant gap between the radical populist left and the more centrist Democratic Party.   Schlein argued on Wednesday that the opposition must focus on concrete proposals. “We can’t just be against the government, we have to …

Minnesota Senate committee advances sweepstakes casino ban bill to judiciary state

Minnesota Senate committee advances sweepstakes casino ban bill to judiciary state

Published by skeptic

A Minnesota Senate committee has moved forward a bill that would ban online “sweepstakes” casino-style games, setting up a wider fight over how the state should handle a fast-growing corner of digital gambling. Senate File 4474 cleared the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee after a March 24, 2026 hearing. The proposal now heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee as lawmakers continue to weigh its impact. It focuses on platforms that use what lawmakers describe as a “dual-currency” system. Under the language, that means a setup where someone can take part in simulated gambling while paying some form of consideration and becoming eligible for “a prize, award, cash, cash equivalent, or chance to win a prize.” It also defines an “online sweepstakes game” as any online or mobile product using that system while it “simulates casino-style or another form of gambling.” Minnesota committee considers sweeping sweepstakes prohibition The prohibition itself states that “a person or entity is prohibited from operating, conducting, or promoting an online sweepstakes game in Minnesota.” The measure also blocks a wide …

Watch live: Fired FBI agents testify before Senate Judiciary panel on 2020 election case

Watch live: Fired FBI agents testify before Senate Judiciary panel on 2020 election case

Published by Sam Flores

Two former FBI agents, who were fired by President Trump last year, will testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee panel on their involvement in a probe of the 2020 presidential election. The hearing comes after two ex-agents, who were unnamed, sued the Trump administration after they said they were fired “solely” based on their work on… Source link

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni loses referendum – POLITICO

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni loses referendum – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

A loss in the referendum will probably weaken the right-wing prime minister’s hand politically, most critically ahead of a general election expected before the end of next year. Italy’s right has long wanted to shake up a judicial system that it claims is politicized and biased toward the left — an assertion disputed by the opposition and many legal experts — vowing the reforms proposed in the referendum would make the system more accountable. Opponents of Meloni’s reforms warned an overhaul risked weakening judicial independence and portrayed the referendum as an attempt to bring fiercely autonomous legal officials under government control. Voters were asked to approve changes to how judges and prosecutors are governed and disciplined, including separating their career paths and reshaping oversight bodies. The tension over the judiciary reflect long-running tension in Italian politics. The Mani Pulite (Clean Hands) investigations of the early 1990s exposed a vast network of corruption that wiped out an entire political class, leaving magistrates with heightened authority and politicians deeply mistrustful of the judiciary. The shadow of former …