Is there anyone actually sensing that Democracy is a political system not at immediate risk?
Either as an institutional structure or a culture of dialogue and decision making process, this particular system of government finds itself in perilous waters to a much greater degree than perhaps two or three decades ago.
What's the biggest risk to Democracy both in Cyprus and elsewhere?
One would actually say it is the rising mistrust of citizens in the possibility that democracy is actually working towards their interest. Every citizen is wondering, for example, whether the latest appointments of DGs and the President's mini reshuffle serve the public interest.
Are the appointments in question an indication of taking responsibility for last summer's devastating fires or the Takata airbag deaths? Do they actually send a message of meritocracy, in other words, the removal of ineffective ministers and the arrival of better ones?
Having said this, if the majority of citizens actually believe that the appointments are more about inner circle positioning, for example, appointing the husband of deputy minister Piki and particularly, the satisfying of the President's politically appalling ambition to get re-elected in 2028 at any cost, then yes, Democracy is at risk.
The Indications
A number of journalists and analysts turned their attentions to the United States realities during Trump's first term, as they studied democratic attrition indicators. Pressures on the democratic system can be found across the following phenomena:
• Polarisation and disinformation, eroding institutional trust.
• The rise to power of authoritarian or populist leaders who question any counter to their authority.
• Undermining independent Authorities and the Mass Media.
• Monitoring and digital control, restricting freedoms.
• Citizens exchaustion, which results in low participation and ultimately turning their back on politics.
In many countries, particularly beyond Europe, such as Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Iran, Syria or Libya, such trends have already forged a democratic abyss or civil strife.
Institutional safeguards
On the other hand, Democracy doesn't readily collapse, as responsible, serious states maintain strong institutional safeguards, such as an independent justice system, NGOs, active citizens, investigative journalists but also European and international guarantees. The real question here for all to ask, is how much of a serious state Cyprus actually is.
In the United States, the media managed to effectively react and overcome the Trump abhorrent attacks, while even pro-government FOX withdrew its carte blanche during the US President's current second administration, sometimes launching scathing attacks against him.
American justice hunted Trump down even shortly before his election, by jailing a number of his associates.
In Europe, the system imprisoned French President Sarkozy, brought Lepen before justice and even arrested former head of EU foreign policy Federica Mogherini. Nothing of the aforementioned is however, enough, but moves more to the logic of too little too late.
Inside the provincial society of Cyprus and client politics, things are even worse. Nothing moves forward punishment wise, with most investigations ending up buried in dark desk drawers.
The real danger
The biggest and present risk to a Democracy is 'silent', operating very much like cancer. Armoured vehicles are no longer needed so that dictators can shed people's blood on the streets and rise to power. The risk stems from the gradual weakening of trust, to a point where the system is more of a typical process and not a substantial reality, until its very last cell is infected.
Danger is around the corner:
• when society gets used to erosion: Politicians are robbing you blind before your eyes, in certain cases, the police works as an ally of the deep state and the government is protecting the financially privileged, who have broadened the chasm between the rich and the poor, with no one resisting. Sure, capitalism is clearly motivated by profit but also operates based on rules that need to be observed if the state does not wish a sharp decline into a crisis and social disturbance. My observation is empirical but I believe that the bigger the rich-poor divide gets, corruption rises equally.
• when insitutions are considered 'judicial tools,' instead of working as neutral independent bodies: In this case, they are used or seen to be used to serve expediences. In Cyprus for example, the former Auditor General is attempting to establish the view that the Legal Service operates as a tool to the incumbent President of the time, while judicial authorities have made it their purposes to discredit him both personally and politically. At the same juncture, the Legal Service is resisting the suspension of the unchecked nolle prosequi exercised by the Legal Service bosses and more often than not, abusing the privilege. We all realise that if a citizen believes an institution has lost its independence, it stops trusting them, considering every decision they make as a political act and not objective judgment.
• when politics becomes tribal and not institutional: if you belong to a circle that supported Nicos Christodoulides in the 2023 elections and more than that, if you're a relative, a friend or best man to the President or his wife, then you have a political future and you find yourself on a list of promotion or appointment possibilities across various state or semi-governmental organisations. Under the Christodoulides administration, politics is removed and we operate within a tribal process. That being said, the Christodoulides tribe is not even in a position anymore to function within the logic of collectively solving issues. It sets itself apart and moves more inside a spectrum of group conflict domination, with the team's symbols and tattoos creating an identity that's more important than arguments.
If this mentality, not only a fault of Christodoulides, is looked at in a broader social fabric, we will realise that citizens no longer evaluate data or policies. They make decisions based on 'who said' and 'what colours they have'. Politics has turned into football with the best and most recent example being the AEL and Apollon Limassol rivalry, with fans impressively shrinking the distance between hooligans and political louts.
Does anyone actually understand why the yellows and blues are killing each other in Limassol? In the here and now, our opponent, both in politics and football, is not just someone with different ideas, whom we should ultimately respect. They are a threat. This approach leads to exaggerations and conspiracy theories, dominated by the 'us against them' slogan.
Will Democracy be saved?
Can we save Democracy? Well it's not on the verge of collapse, but these are definitely trying times. It is facing a war of attrition, where survival depends on the functioning of liberal and competitive institutions, the quality of information, the political education of citizens and the ability of societies to resist polarisation. To achieve all this, we need politicians with vision. But mostly at least a two generation planning at educational level.