The upcoming German Bundestag elections will be decisive in shaping political agendas and priorities in Germany, Europe and beyond. At the same time, the country faces a risk of democratic decline as observed in several other EU member states due to a normalisation of far-right positions in the population and a race between centrist and far-right parties to best represent these positions. It raises the question of how likely the incoming government will adopt restrictive policies that undermine the rule of law. Accordingly, the resilience of Germany’s courts, political institutions and civil society may soon be put to the test. Many scenarios are worth debating:
- The rise of authoritarian and illiberal powers and policies challenges the traditional German institutional setup. Will the resilience of democratic institutions be strengthened by fighting back against these challenges or rather weakened?
- It is questionable whether the institutions responsible for upholding the rule of law are sufficiently robust to withstand potential attacks and capture. Where lie potential weaknesses of these institutions and what measures could be taken to better protect them?
- The recent constitutional amendment was meant to protect the German Constitutional Court against political influence. Will this be enough to withstand the challenges of the future?
- And the illiberal international: what are the lessons learned from the European and US experiences to anticipate and mitigate democratic backsliding?
The panellists Prof. Christoph Möllers (HU Berlin), Dr. Thu Nguyen (Jacques Delors Centre) and Max Steinbeis (Verfassungsblog) will discuss these and other questions moderated by Dr. Nino Tsereteli (Democracy Reporting International).
