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 […]
Coalition Crisis in Slovakia
Slovakia’s ruling multi-party coalition has been plunged into a full-scale political crisis after Prime Minister Igor Matovič singlehandedly moved to acquire the Russian-made Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. The controversial purchase of the Russian vaccine, which follows a steady decline in the Government’s approval ratings over recent months, has intensified existing tensions between the ruling parties, […]
Post-Election Crisis In Georgia
Analysis and Implications After the Crackdown On the Georgian Opposition The political impasse in Georgia between the country’s ruling Georgian Dream party (GD) and its multi-party opposition has entered a new chapter after prominent opposition leader Nika Melia was placed under pre-trial detention on February 23. Melia’s arrest sparked significant concern among Georgia’s international partners […]
Key Takeaways of the 6th Belarusian People’s Assembly for International Investors
On 11−12 February, the All Belarusian People’s Assembly (ABPA) met in Minsk. By staging the event, the authorities’ responded to the political crisis in the country — regular mass protests in the aftermath of the August 2020 Presidential election. The ABPA is seen as an instrument for resolving the political differences that emerged from the […]
New Advertising Tax Sparks Major Protests From Polish Media Players
On 2 February 2021, the Polish Ministry of Finance published a draft bill introducing a controversial new advertising tax on both conventional and online advertising revenues. Following the pre-consultation period, which closed on February 16, the Bill will be open for public consultation, after which the Government is aiming to ratify it quickly in Parliament […]
Ukraine Looks to Break Impasse Over Collection of Copyright Fees
In late December 2020, Ukraine’s ruling party attempted to bring to an end the long-running saga surrounding the collection of copyright fees from manufacturers/importers of electronic devices able to reproduce copyright-protected content. The issue has been paralysed due to a stand-off between the Collective Management Organizations responsible for collecting these fees and the impacted business […]
Parliamentary Elections, Government Reshuffles and Protectionism in Kazakhstan
On 10 January 2021, Kazakhstan held elections to its lower house of parliament (Majilis) and regional parliaments (Maslikhats). The Majilis elections are part of an ongoing transition of power in Kazakhstan which was activated following the resignation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev in March 2019 (Nazarbayev turns 80 in 2021). Other elements included the 2019 presidential elections (won by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the politician hand-picked by Nursultan Nazarbayev as his […]
Presidential Elections & Power Structure Changes in Kyrgyzstan
On 10 January, Kyrgyzstan held early presidential elections in conjunction with a referendum on the form of governance (transferring from the parliamentary to the presidential model). The controversial elections followed on from October’s much-criticised parliamentary elections and amidst ongoing political turmoil that has reigned ever since. The official vote count gave Sadyr Japarov an overwhelming […]
