Constitutional Debate Erupts as Early Elections are Canceled

I'm interested in this for a number of reasons.  First, my other half is from the Czech Republic.  And, second, this election can have consequences for the EU and the geopolitical landscape.

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The Czech Republic hashes out exactly what the judiciary can and can't do in its still fledgling democracy.

By Bruce I. Konviser
GlobalPost

PRAGUE, Czech Republic — When the Constitutional Court struck down a constitutional amendment last month, which was to pave the way for early elections, the political establishment was shocked that the court had asserted itself in such a manner.

Others supported the decision, saying the ruling was not only a breakthrough for the court but was also a watershed event for the country's still fledgling democracy.

Early elections seemed inevitable after the government collapsed in the spring following a vote of-no-confidence in parliament. In an effort to hasten the cumbersome process toward early elections, parliament passed a new amendment that the Constitutional Court subsequently nixed, ruling against what it called a retroactive and stop-gap measure.

The ruling has unleashed a constitutional debate about the fundamental duties and authority of the judiciary. As the Czech Republic’s democracy continues to develop, such a debate is both reflective of the country’s journey toward a strong democracy and integral to it.

Many political leaders could barely contain their rage at the ruling. President Vaclav Klaus went so far as to call the court's decision “wrong.” (By definition, of course, the Constitutional Court cannot be wrong. Regardless of what anyone thinks of a particular ruling the constitution means what the court says it means.)...(Remainder.)

Belgium to Rent Jail Space in the Netherlands

Strapped for space in its prisons, Belgium has decided to rent 500 jail cells from its neighbor the Netherlands until new ones can be built, the justice ministry said Friday.

By Agence France-Presse
Expatica.com

Brussels - Strapped for space in its prisons, Belgium has decided to rent 500 jail cells from its neighbour the Netherlands until new ones can be built, the justice ministry said Friday.

The move was approved Friday by the cabinet and is expected to be finalised in coming weeks in consultation with the Dutch government and once approved by the Belgian parliament, a ministry statement said.

"The aim is to use the cell space as quickly as possible" in the Tilburg prison in the southern Netherlands, said Justice Minister Stefan De Clerck.

"It is of course a temporary measure given that from 2012 the new Belgian prisons should be able to open," he added.

In an address to parliament Tuesday, Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy said that "urgent measures" were needed to overcome the problem with the kingdom's prisons....(Remainder.)

Why the Swiss Are Afraid of Minarets

By Michael Soukup
Spiegel

A poster featuring a Muslim woman in a chador surrounded by minaret towers that resemble missiles is causing outrage in Switzerland ahead of a referendum next month on whether to ban mosques from having minarets. The campaign is proving so controversial that even some die-hard members of the country's far right are uncomfortable with it.

Wangen bei Olten has already been lost. The small Swiss municipality at the foot of the Jura Mountains has become home to a minaret.

The Christians in the village fought hard to prevent it -- they collected signatures, lodged official complaints, spoke publicly against it and even the local Catholic and evangelical communities registered their opposition.

But nothing worked. Switzerland's highest court approved the building plans of the local Turkish cultural association and now a six meter (20 foot) tall minaret provides graphic proof of the victory won by the Olten Türk Kültür Ocagi.

"The minaret is only the first step," Daniel Zingg warns in appearances across the country. The former television repairman is a member of the Federal Democratic Union (EDU), a Christian party on the far right of Switzerland's political spectrum. Zingg, 53, sees minarets as symbols of Muslim victories over newly conquered lands -- as precursors to the introduction of Islamic Shariah law.

How times have changed in Switzerland. In the 1960s and 70s, politicians in Zürich and Geneva welcomed the construction of two mosques as symbols of the country's sophistication and open-mindedness. Nowadays, Switzerland's anti-minaret activists like to quote Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Minarets are our bayonets," he said. "The domes are our helmets, the mosques our barracks and the believers our army."...(Remainder.)

A Price Too High, A Hand Too Bloody

By Abby Zimet
Common Dreams

Six-and-a-half years and too many deaths after Tony Blair sent British troops into Iraq, a commemorative service for those killed turned into a searing critique of the war after the Archbishop of Canterbury blasted policymakers who went to war "without really measuring the price" and the father of a dead soldier refused to shake Blair's hand, calling him "a war criminal." Peter Brierley, whose son Shaun died in 2003, has since become an anti-war activist.

"I'm not shaking your hand. You've got blood on it." – Peter Brierley to Tony Blair.

(Original.)

Greek Socialists Win in a Landslide

By Rachel Donadio and Anthee Carassava
The New York Times
Photo:  Simela Pantzarzi (European Pressphoto Agency)

ATHENS — Socialists won national elections in Greece on Sunday, trouncing a center-right government crippled by corruption scandals and a growing economic crisis.

With 88 percent of Greece’s 10 million votes counted, according to The Associated Press, the Socialist Pasok Party was leading with 44 percent of the vote to 34 percent for the center-right New Democracy Party, a margin expected to give the Socialists their largest victory ever and a comfortable majority in Parliament.

“Today we set off together to build the Greece we want and need. We have no time to waste,” the Socialist leader, George Papandreou, said in his victory speech. “We want it, we can do it, we will succeed.”

“Nothing will be easy,” he added. “But I will always be honest and upfront with the Greeks.”

In conceding defeat, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis said he had failed to persuade Greeks to accept the two years of austerity measures he had called for to steer the country out of its economic crisis. “The voters did not approve of this policy. It was their choice, and I respect it,” he said.

Mr. Karamanlis also stepped down as leader of the New Democracy Party, which suffered its worst performance since the restoration of Greek democracy in 1974 after years of military dictatorship. He said he would call a party congress to elect a new leader within a month....(Remainder.)

Brussels Welcomes US Move Toward Global Governance of Internet

By Leigh Phillips
EU Observer

BRUSSELS - The body responsible for managing the development of the internet, Icann, has cut its umbilical cord to the US government, a move the European Union has been demanding for four years.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which oversees domain names - the .com, .eu, .org and so on at the end of a web address - as of 30 September will no longer be subject to review by the US Department of Commerce.

Instead, independent review panels appointed by Icann Governmental Advisory Committee (Gac) and Icann itself with the involvement of governments around the world. will perform this task.

Since 2005, the EU has been calling for reform of the governance of the internet, saying that the internet is a global resource and should not be tied to one national government - a position echoed by many other countries and a number of companies.

In June of this year, the European Commission raised the volume on the issue, publishing a policy document that an independent judicial body be set up, which information society commissioner Viviane Reding described at the time as a "G12 for internet governance," which would serve as a "multilateral forum for governments to discuss general internet governance policy and security issues."

Wednesday's move comes close to satisfying the EU demands, and Ms Reding welcomed the development....(Remainder.)

“Unveil the Girls and Educate the Boys” say Belgian Protesters

By Expatica

A few hundred people took to the streets of Brussels on Saturday calling on the authorities to impose a ban on wearing the Muslim headscarf in Francophone schools.

The view, according to the organisers of the demonstration, is that politicians should ban all religious symbols from schools in Francophone education.

"Unveil the girls and educate the boys" is one of the slogans used by demonstrators.

According to one of the advocates of a headscarf ban, Karima, there is huge social pressure in schools to wear a headscarf.  "Those who don't wear a headscarf are cursed at and accused of not being religious or of being a prostitute."

Nadia Geerts of the organisation RAPPEL called on politicians to take a decision to protect young girls from the obligation of wearing a headscarf.

The debate over whether or not to allow religious symbols in schools has been in the spotlight over the last few months, both in Flanders as well as in Wallonia, where a number of schools have implemented a ban individually.

After a turbulent start to the school year, the network of Flemish Community schools decided to implement a ban on headscarves and other religious symbols in all schools.

The debate is still very much alive in Belgian schools around the country....(Remainder.)

375% Rise in Internet Infractions in Belgium

By La Dernière Heure
Expatica

One in five people risk falling victim to an internet fraudster, a risk even higher than being burgled at home.

Cyber-criminality has risen by 375%, according to Symantec, an American company specialised in internet security.
 
The likelihood of being victim of a burglary or being involved in a car-crash is much lower than being attacked on the internet, with risks of 1 in 31 cases and 1 in 3,000 cases respectively.

In Belgium, more than 13,000 infraction complaints were received by the eCops watchdog in 2008, which was 17% more than 2007 and 375% more than in the last six years.

Symantec observed 1.65 million viruses on the internet in 2008, a figure likely to have risen notably in their next observation....(Original.)

80 Arrested in Benelux Drugs Operation

By Agence France-Presse
Expatica

Police in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg arrested 80 people in a four-day cross-border drugs operation that ended on Sunday, a Dutch police statement said.

The operation that focused on shared border areas and transport routes netted 10 kilograms of cocaine, five grams of heroine, 22 grams of hashish and 277 grams of cannabis, it said.

Police officials from the three countries searched cars on busy highways, passengers of international trains and several buildings since Thursday.

Arrests were carried out mainly in the southern Dutch towns of Roosendaal and Maastricht, in Antwerp in northern Belgium and two in Paris on board the Thalys high-speed train en route from Brussels.

The operation was part of a broader project to tackle drug trafficking and drug tourism between the Benelux countries and France, said the police statement....(Original.)

Climate: Belgium Deplores Lack of Concrete Figures from USA

Belgian Foreign Minister Yves Leterme and Energy Minister Paul Magnette have deplored the failure of the U.S. President to put forward concrete figures regarding the reduction of green house gases.

By Expatica

The Belgian ministers are happy however with the new American attitude towards fighting climate change.

U.S. President Barack Obama said that the days when the United States "dragged its feet" in the fight against climate change are over.

He vowed to promote renewable energy and share green technology with countries around the world.

"We will press ahead with deep cuts in emissions to reach the goals that we set for 2020, and eventually 2050," Obama said in his maiden speech to the U.N. General Assembly.

"The threat from climate change is serious, it is urgent, and it is growing," Obama said, "And the time we have to reverse this tide is running out."

The Belgians had hoped that the U.S. President would come with some concrete plans or figures but he remained vague about how exactly the climate goals would be met.

The Belgian Energy Minister Magnette was reportedly disappointed with what he saw as a cautious American approach to tackling climate change.

The minister immediately added that he realises that it is not an easy issue for President Obama with some tough opponents in the House of Representatives....(Remainder.)