Author: Kouroutakis
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The Phantom Jobs & The Frozen Throne: How Chirac’s Scandal Warped French Democracy
We often think of political scandals as tales of personal greed, briefcases of cash, luxury villas, private jets. But the most insidious abuses of power aren’t about funding a lavish lifestyle. They are about entrenching power itself, bending the very machinery of the state to ensure your political survival and dominance. The 2011 conviction of…
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Power as a Shield: Netanyahu’s Reign, Indictment, and Ultimate Pardon Gambit
For over a generation, the political landscape of Israel has been dominated by one man: Benjamin Netanyahu. His story is not just the story of a prime minister, but a masterclass in political survival, a cautionary tale about the corrosion of power, and a central thread in the fabric of modern Israel’s deepest divisions. To…
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How India’s Electoral Bond Scheme Tilted Democracy
When the Electoral Bond Scheme (EBS) was launched in 2018, it was presented as a reform to make political funding cleaner and more transparent. In reality, it achieved the opposite. It concentrated financial power in the hands of the ruling party while hiding crucial information from the public. Under the scheme, individuals and companies could…
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The Judicial Silence on Partisan Gerrymandering: the Case of Rucho v Common Cause
In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down one of the most consequential — and controversial — decisions on the structure of American democracy: Rucho v. Common Cause. At its heart lay a simple but profound question: can politicians draw election maps so distorted that they predetermine who wins ? The Court’s answer, effectively, was yes. After the…
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Nelson Mandela: The Leader Who Redefined Power and Democracy
Few figures in modern history embody the spirit of justice and reconciliation as profoundly as Nelson Mandela. Born in 1918 in South Africa, Mandela would become a global symbol of courage, equality, and the triumph of democracy over oppression. His life’s journey — from activist to prisoner to president — is a story of unwavering conviction…
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Evo Morales Appetite for Power
When Evo Morales became president of Bolivia in 2006, he was hailed as a transformative figure — the country’s first Indigenous leader, a symbol of empowerment for millions long excluded from political life. His early years in office were marked by economic growth, social reform, and a strong sense of national pride. Yet, over time,…
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Orban’s Path from Democracy to Dominance
Viktor Orban’s rise in Hungarian politics marks one of the most striking transformations in Europe’s recent democratic history. Emerging from the liberal youth movement Fidesz in the late 1980s, Orban initially positioned himself as a champion of democracy and national sovereignty in the post-communist era. His early political career reflected Hungary’s hopes for pluralism and…
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The Fall of Nicolas Sarkozy
When Nicolas Sarkozy first strode into the Élysée Palace in 2007, he carried himself like a man born for the presidency — brash, ambitious, impatient with limits. To his supporters, he was the “hyper-president,” the reformer who would modernize France. On September 25, 2025, the former President of France, was sentenced to five years in…
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Welcome to Rotation of Power!
Rotation of Power means that leadership changes hands in a peaceful and orderly way from one party or leader to another. It is a cornerstone of democracy, ensuring that no single group holds on to power indefinitely. Through free and fair elections, citizens choose their leaders, and when terms end, power is transferred smoothly. This process…
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