Moldova’s New Government
Almost a month after the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), supporting pro-EU Moldovan President Maia Sandu, scored a landslide victory during Moldova’s long-awaited snap parliamentary vote on July 11th, Natalia Gavrilița, an economist and former Finance Minister, has been confirmed as the country’s new Prime Minister. Facing extremely high expectations from the Moldovan public, […]
Snap Parliamentary Elections in Moldova
Party of Action and Solidarity to Form Government with Unprecedented Mandate On July 11th, Moldovan voters went to the polls to elect the country’s 101 members of parliament for the next legislative term. As widely expected, the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) of incumbent President Maia Sandu emerged victorious, securing 53% of the popular […]
Snap Elections in Bulgaria
What can international investors expect from another fragmented parliament? Bulgaria’s much-anticipated snap parliamentary elections could mark the beginning of a new era in the country’s political life. While the vote on July 11 produced another fragmented parliament, pressure is mounting on the newly emerged There is Such a People party of Bulgarian singer and TV […]
Foreign Tech Platforms’ “Onshoring” Legislation in Russia
On June 17, the State Duma (the lower chamber of parliament in Russia) adopted in the final third reading the legislation introducing “local presence” requirements for foreign tech companies operating in Russia without local representative offices. The respective draft law was submitted to the State Duma on May 21 by a group of MPs and senators, acting […]
Political Impasse in Bulgaria
Caretaker Government Takes Office Ahead of Snap Parliamentary Elections Scheduled for July 11th Bulgaria has been plunged into a major political impasse after the country’s much-anticipated parliamentary elections on April 4 failed to produce a stable government with a clear mandate. The multi-directional political rivalry between traditional Bulgarian parties and political newcomers has led to […]
Restrictive Measures by Belarus Authorities Against Western Companies
Following the Presidential elections in Belarus in August 2020 and subsequent actions by the Belarusian authorities suppressing protests, relations between Belarus and both the European Union and US have deteriorated significantly. The EU and several other European states have imposed sanctions on Belarus’s government officials and commercial enterprises. Belarus responded by imposing counter-sanctions on individual […]
Parliamentary Elections Aftermath in Bulgaria: Uncertainty & Turmoil Reign
Over a week has passed since Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections (held on 4 April), but the country remains at a political impasse, with the results showing no clear path to a new government and a new election remaining a distinct possibility. The only certainty is that a period of relative political stability is seemingly at an […]
Turkmenistan Parliamentary Election and Expected Power Transition
On 28 March 2021, Turkmenistan held its first ever election to the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council), the upper house of its parliament, formed in 2021. The election (largely a ceremonial affair in which members are elected by the regional authorities or appointed by the President himself) is a critical step in the forward planning of […]
Hungary Becomes Latest EU State to Consider National Social Media Regulation
Hungary has become the latest European member state to consider regulation around social media content, after Justice Minister Judit Varga announced plans to rein in the “tech giants”, including possible sanctions against what she described as their “unfair commercial practices”. This move is further evidence of a growing trend towards online platform regulation at national […]
Throttling of Twitter in Russia
On March 16 Russia’s Internet watchdog Roskomnadzor (RKN) stated that it is ready to impose a full blocking on Twitter in Russia within one month should it fail to comply with online content takedown laws. This follows RKN’s earlier decision to start throttling the loading speed for Twitter from March 10th in order to punish the company for […]
