Democracy Round-Up: Panama Papers journalist killed in car bomb attack
Headlines from around the world in the fight to protect democracy and the rule of law
By Janna Brancolini
A journalist investigating Malta’s role as a hub for tax evasion in the European Union was killed today when her car exploded near her home in Bidnija. Daphne Caruana Galizia, a high-profile investigator in the Malta Files corruption scandal, was inside the vehicle when it detonated and was killed in the blast. Police said she had reported receiving death threats just two weeks earlier. Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat called the attack “barbaric” and unjustified. Muscat’s wife, who was implicated in the Panama Papers, was among the targets of Galizia’s corruption investigation. (La Repubblica)
A new study has found that large majorities worldwide still support the idea of democracy, but significant minorities — particularly among those whose beliefs fall on the right side of the ideological spectrum — are also willing to back strongman leaders. The Pew Research Center surveyed more than 40,000 citizens of 38 nations and found that 78 percent believed representative democracy was a good way to govern. But 49 percent also supported unchecked rule by unelected experts, and 26 percent supported rule by a strong leader without legislative or legal checks and balances. Right-of-center political beliefs tended to correlate with support for non-democratic forms of government. One-third of U.S. Republicans said they agreed with the statement: “A system in which a strong leader can make decisions without interference from parliament or the courts would be a good way to govern our country,” compared to 20 percent of Independents and 17 percent of Democrats. (Pew Research Center)
Austria’s far-right and center-right parties gained ground in national elections on Sunday, riding a wave of anti-immigrant and anti-Islam sentiment that is gripping much of the Continent. The mainstream conservative Austrian People’s Party came in first, followed by the ultra conservative Freedom Party of Austria, which narrowly gained more seats than the Social Democratic Party. “In Austria, which likes to think of itself as the bridge between the western and eastern countries of Europe, [incoming chancellor Sebastian Kurz] faces a serious choice: try to isolate a popular populist party, as in Sweden, or bring it into government and try to tame it, as in Norway,” according to analysis from the New York Times. (New York Times)
Extreme weather exacerbated by climate change continues to be a global threat as deadly wildfires raged on two continents over the weekend. About 145 fires erupted in western Spain and central Portugal, killing 31 people and injuring at least 50 others. The flames followed a hot, dry summer — the second hottest on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — and have been exacerbated by winds from Hurricane Ophelia as it approaches Europe’s western coast. Meanwhile in the U.S., at least 40 people have died and more than 5,700 homes and businesses have been destroyed by wildfires near Santa Rosa, California. Authorities are concerned about looting and law enforcement in the wake of the natural disasters. (BBC, CNBC)
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