05/05/2025 President
In a wide-ranging reflection on the nature of modern democracy, PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos has urged today’s democratic politicians to set aside illusion, to drop grand visions and to focus on “truth, humility and responsibility” if they are to win back the trust of citizens, particularly disillusioned young voters.
The President, in an opening address to the European Conference on Democracy and Human Rights in Kristiansand, Norway, began by drawing parallels between the delusions of authoritarian leaders – who like to claim the mantle of democracy – and those of Cervantes’s famous fictional character Don Quixote.
“While Don Quixote’s illusions lead to comic misadventures and philosophical reflection, the illusions of authoritarian leaders are far more consequential. They distort truth, manufacture fear, and justify oppression under the banner of heroic destiny. In both cases, the refusal to see the world as it is leads to harm: to themselves, or to the people they govern,” the President suggested.
Pointing to research revealing young people’s growing disillusionment with democracy, the President suggested that modern democratic politicians needed to return to pragmatism and a leadership style based on “facts, moderation and responsibility”.
He cited former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt’s remark that “anyone in politics who has visions should go to see a doctor,” which he saw as cautioning against the dangers of political fantasy untethered from reality. “In an age of misinformation and populist myth-making, Schmidt’s quip reminds us that vision is not enough. Without truth, humility, and responsibility, politics becomes theatre — and the public, its unwilling audience.” Democracy may be old but is not old-fashioned, the President concluded, “and it is worth fighting for.”
Inaugurated by Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, the annual Kristiansand conference brought together some 300 representatives from government, politics, academia, civil society and youth from across Europe, to discuss the future of democracy in an increasingly unpredictable world. Members of PACE also held an exchange of views with parliamentarians from the Nordic Council.