28 October 2026
Democratic Resistance in the Brazilian Elections
In one of the most dramatic elections in the history of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has achieved a victory against the far-right incumbent Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is now under house arrest following a conviction to more than twenty-seven years for a coup attempt in January 2023. Less than two days after the election results were announced, Flávio left the country to seek asylum in the United States, in defiance of a court order suspending his passport and prohibiting him from leaving the country. Continue reading >>
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28 October 2026
Democratic Resistance in the Serbian Elections
On 25 October, the Student List won an absolute majority in Serbia's parliamentary election. Aleksandar Vučić conceded within minutes of the polls closing. The significance of this election goes beyond the composition of parliament and lies in what its result will allow Serbia to leave behind, since, like Poland and Hungary, Serbia is one of the states whose courts and other key institutions have been captured by the ruling party. Continue reading >>
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16 June 2026
The No-Benefit-Rule’s Struggle for Survival
Zimbabwe is on its way to amend its 2013 constitution. One of the amendment’s aims is to undermine the term limit provision for the incumbent president Mnangagwa, whose second and final five-year term is due to end in 2028. Such an attempt is not unprecedented on the African continent with its “presidents for life” culture. However, since the Zimbabwean constitution has established a specific and almost unique safeguard to protect this provision, such an amendment would even formally contravene the constitution – and exceed current practices in Africa. Continue reading >>
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12 May 2026
Federalism Against Democracy
India, as the world’s largest democracy, is facing a unique challenge in the twenty-first century in managing the relationship between democracy and federalism. How do we historically approach this face-off between the imperatives of democracy and federalism in India today? I suggest that the constitutional and political debates in late colonial India on questions of democracy and federalism show a similar face-off, which fundamentally defined postcolonial India’s shaky tryst with federalism. Continue reading >>
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12 May 2026
Sex Workers in the Paris Senate
Legal frameworks for remunerated sexual services often reveal a weakness in our democracies: how to protect sex workers as a marginalized group without patronizing them. A bill recently introduced in the French Senate proposes to replace the current End-Demand legislation with full decriminalization. Drafted by a mixed group of interdisciplinary researchers and sex workers of different backgrounds, the bill tackles this weakness head-on – and turned out nuanced and detailed. Continue reading >>22 April 2026
Judging the Judges
On 12 March 2026, Korea’s new crime of “legal distortion” (법왜곡죄) entered into force. Judges and prosecutors who intentionally misapply the law to benefit or harm another person now face up to ten years’ imprisonment and suspension of their professional qualifications. The reform comes at a time of fragile public confidence in the judiciary: recent surveys show that trust is shallow and particularly low among younger generations. Yet this remedy risks deepening the very crisis it purports to address. Continue reading >>
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16 March 2026
Protecting Democracy Through International Law
While the 2023 presidential election marked a pro-democratic turning point for Guatemala, authoritarian forces continue to pressure the newly elected government to this day. In light of this, Guatemala’s pro-democratic government requested an advisory opinion on the protection of democracy and political rights from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. This week, from 17 to 20 March 2026, the IACtHR will convene the public hearings. I argue that Guatemala’s pro-democratic government turned to international law to generate resources for its domestic struggle against national authoritarian forces. Continue reading >>
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06 February 2026
Voting for Illiberalism
On 8 February 2026, Portuguese voters will decide a presidential runoff between António José Seguro, backed by the Socialist Party, and André Ventura, leader of the far-right Chega. The argument I advance here, however, is analytical rather than electoral: that this election crystallizes a confrontation between two models of democracy – one liberal, rooted in the constitutional settlement that emerged from the 1974 revolution, and one illiberal, that treats constitutional constraints as obstacles to the expression of popular will rather than as safeguards of it. Continue reading >>
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06 January 2026
Defending Democracy Against Itself
Five years ago today, Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol after his defeat in the 2020 election. Two years ago, in Trump v. Anderson, the U.S. Supreme Court kept Trump on the presidential ballot. What would the world look like if militant democracy had prevailed in the United States? Maybe not so different after all. Democracy is best defended not by banning its opponents, but by renewing popular support through participation, persuasion, and substantive reform. Continue reading >>
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04 December 2025