08/10/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Anne Brasseur (Luxembourg, ALDE), PACE rapporteur on Tunisia, said that she was deeply troubled and concerned by the recent press reports of the rape of a young Tunisian woman by police officers. According to these reports, in early September 2012 a young Tunisian woman and her fiancé were stopped, in the middle of the night, by police officers, accused of engaging in “immoral behaviour”.
05/10/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President Jean-Claude Mignon will chair the round table on “Is representative democracy in crisis?”, which is organised by PACE in the context of the World Forum for Democracy. It will bring together PACE members Anne Brasseur (Luxembourg, ALDE), Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL) and members of parliament from across the world. Andy Richardson (Interparliamentary Union) will present a Global Parliamentary Report on “The changing nature of parliamentary representation”.
24/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
"I regret that many OSCE commitments on citizens’ democratic rights to associate, to stand as candidates and to express themselves freely were not respected in yesterday’s parliamentary elections in Belarus and that the elections were not administered in an impartial manner due to the lack of proper counting procedures or ways for observers to verify the results, " said Andres Herkel.
14/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“The perception of a decline in democratic values triggered by the economic and financial crisis is growing in Europe and beyond. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has for some time been sounding the alarm, pointing to the diminishing trust of citizens in democratic institutions and political leadership, low electoral turnouts and increasing popular support for, xenophobic and populist parties. With the gap between citizens and their democratic institutions widening, the Assembly hails this year’s Day of Democracy focus on dialogue and inclusiveness as central factors for democracy”.
13/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“A right balance has to be struck between national interests and respect for human rights in Council of Europe member States’ foreign policies”, PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy said today during its meeting in Helsinki. When foreign policy “neglects human rights for too long” and focuses solely on strategic economic and geo-political interests – it added - “human rights crises may erupt and “humanitarian interventions” become urgent and moral necessities”.
11/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
In a draft resolution “For more democratic elections” adopted today in Helsinki, PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy observes that election-related violations persist in several member States – opacity of election campaign funding, misuse of administrative resources, pressure and intimidation brought to bear on candidates and voters, unequal access to the media, the electoral administration’s lack of independence, neutrality and impartiality, restrictions on the right to vote and to stand for election, vote buying, ballot box stuffing, and ineffective complaints procedures.
11/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“The Council of Europe has contributed to the stability and security of our continent in a remarkable way notably through the prevention of conflicts and their aftercare. Today’s human rights violations are often the cause of tomorrow’s conflicts. Thus respect for human rights is a powerful instrument in conflict prevention”, Former President of Finland Tarja Halonen said today addressing in Helsinki PACE’s Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy.
11/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“The right balance has to be struck between national interests and respect for human rights in Council of Europe member States’ foreign policies”, PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy said today during its meeting in Helsinki. When foreign policy “neglects human rights for too long” and focuses solely on strategic economic and geo-political interests – it added - “human rights crises may erupt and “humanitarian interventions” become urgent and moral necessities”.
10/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“It becomes increasingly important to make sure that democratic institutions and processes can function well and that our commonly adopted rules are respected. One of our most important assets in difficult times is the confidence of citizens in the democratic process,” said Eero Heinäluoma, Speaker of the Finnish Parliament, in her speech at the opening of the meeting of the PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy in Helsinki today.
07/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, which will meet on 10-11 September in Helsinki (Finland), will hold an exchange of views with the Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Erkki Tuomioja. The meeting will be opened by the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament, Eero Heinäluoma, and the Chairperson of the Finnish delegation to the PACE, Susanna Huovinen.
17/07/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“I condemn the three illegal executions carried out today by Hamas, and call on the authorities in Gaza to cease all further executions, in line with the de facto moratorium on the death penalty which has been put in place by the Palestinian Authority since 2005. The death penalty – wherever it takes place – is simply wrong, but these executions are also a violation of Palestinian law, since they were carried out without any consultation with President Abbas," today said PACE rapporteur Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL), who is currently in Ramallah.
13/07/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL), PACE rapporteur on the "Evaluation of the Partnership for Democracy in respect of the Palestinian National Council", is to make a fact-finding visit to the Palestinian Territories on 16 and 17 July 2012. In Ramallah, Mr Kox is due to meet several representatives of the Palestinian Authority, including the Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Minister for Women's Affairs.