In my last blog post I compared the inaugural addresses of Central and East European presidents – as a follow-up, you can find links to all the speeches of the current presidents and – if available – their predecessors below. The links are to the English translations, if the text is in another language this is indicated in parentheses. I aim to update this list in the future – suggestions for further links and countries to be included are always welcome! Continue reading
presidency
Tweeting politicians in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia & Ukraine – Part 1: Presidents
Since Barack Obama’s use of twitter and other social media has been cited as one of the reasons for his succesful campaign in 2008, more and more politicians (or their PR advisors) have discovered the power and advantages of delivering short, 140-character messages to their supporters. The digital revolution has also not left politicians in Central and Eastern Europe unaffected. In this two-part series of blog articles I will therefore survey whether and how politicians in CEE use twitter – and who you should follow. Continue reading
Back at work: Why there could still be hope for the Hungarian presidency
When the Fidesz-led Hungarian government installed Pál Schmitt in the presidential office, many mourned the end of the presidency as an active check-and-balance in the political system. There is no doubt that Schmitt’s successor, János Áder, is as much convinced of the government’s policies as Viktor Órban himself. Nevertheless, he has recently discovered the possibilities of his office giving hope that the Hungarian presidency might once again become independent of parliament and government.
Presidential activism in Hungary, 1990-2012