05/11/2025 President
Opening the World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg, PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos compared democracy to a mine that depends on its pillars of trust, solidarity and accountability to remain stable. “Miners once used a small bird, a canary, because it was the first to sense the poison in the air deep underground. When the bird stopped singing, the miners knew that something was wrong – the danger was near”, he said.
Mr Rousopoulos said that in today’s world, “young people play the role of the canary”. They are “the first to sense when democracy’s atmosphere no longer feels honest or fair — when politics becomes cynical, when institutions fail to listen and when ideals are replaced by fear or manipulation. If we lose their voice, we lose our warning signal. If we silence their hope, we risk the collapse of the whole structure”, he warned.
The PACE President called for a renewed commitment to democratic participation, dialogue and equality, urging leaders and citizens to rebuild trust as the very lifeblood of democracy. “Democracy, like a mine, cannot survive without oxygen — and oxygen, in our time, is trust. If we preserve it, the canary will keep singing. And where there is song, there is still life — and there is still hope for democracy”, he concluded.