Athens, 8 November 2023

Hellenic Parliament at 11th World Forum for Democracy

 

The 11th World Forum for Democracy took place in Strasbourg from 6 to 8 November, organised by the Council of Europe.

MP George Papandreou, member of the Hellenic Parliament's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) represented the Hellenic parliament at the 11th World Forum on Democracy, specifically in his capacity as a member of the sub-committee on Democracy of the PACE Political Affairs and Democracy Committee.

In his speech at the Forum on the theme "Democracy = Peace?" Mr Papandreou elaborated upon the issue of democratic processes as threatened by increasing inequalities.

In his words: "Democracy is threatened and, therefore, it is imperative to explore ways to deter high abstention rates and the rise of populist leaders. A major reason for citizens’ declining interest in politics is inequality, rendering many people disempowered and marginalised, despite great wealth and technological advances allegedly available for the global common good. The massive concentration of wealth in the hands of the various elites leads to corruption, allowing lobbies to prey on democratic institutions and popular will ."

Referring to the political issue at stake, he stated: "Our choice is therefore either to embrace reactionary politics, to elect authoritarian leaders and promote isolationism and racism, or to reinvent and deepen democratic institutions to empower people, regulate global capitalism, and eliminate inequalities".

Emphasising the need to utilize modern technologies towards broadening citizen participation in decision-making centres, he said: "Transparency, dialogue with the citizens and the active participation of civil society organisations are essential elements for building trust and confidence in the EU institutions and for achieving multi-level democracy. The proposal to create a fourth branch of governance, a consultation branch open to the participation of all citizens in electronic consultation processes prior to debate on legislation, is proposed as a means for strengthening democratic governance."

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