(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Deutsch (de) Von Budapest bis Helsinki: Wie Städte Demokratie fördern und verteidigen (original)

Confronting a strongman in a country that has become an illiberal democracy is no easy task. But Marietta Le is fearless. She oversees civic engagement in Hungary‘s capital, Budapest, a liberal bubble in a country where right-wing conservatives have won the last three elections by landslides.

“Budapest’s new community center will be built here,” says Le, pointing proudly to the parking lot. She looks tiny standing in the square in front of the Budapest City Hall. The huge complex in the heart of the city of more than two million inhabitants seems dilapidated. This decadence reflects the deteriorating health of democracy in the central European nation of Hungary.

Fifteen years have passed since Dutch star architect Erick van Egeraat won the competition to design and restore the giant complex which spans 120,000 square meters. But he couldn’t lift a finger because Budapest, the ninth largest city in the European Union, doesn’t have the funds to afford his services.

Meanwhile, Viktor Orbán served as Hungarian Prime Minister for 12 years. He and the ruling Fidesz party have used this time to rig election laws to their advantage, limit press freedom and cut public funds for cities and communities. Some see the latter as a problem from a global as well as a local point of view.

“But it is cities that offer solutions to global challenges,” says Oliver Pilz, director of the new Office for City Diplomacy in Budapest. Pilz cites climate change, the migration crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic as key examples in the European context.

Budapest: local democracy in an autocratic state

On the banks of the Danube, Budapest is at the crossroads of a wider confrontation between democratic and authoritarian forces around the world. Not far from the capital’s town hall, a former military hospital, is the seat of the Hungarian parliament, known locally as Országház, or country house in Hungarian.

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It too has fallen into disuse. Domestically, Hungarian lawmakers have granted sweeping powers to Orbán, the prime minister who largely succeeded in turning Hungary into the “illiberal democracy” he famously promised in a 2014 speech.

This is partly why the famous research institute “Varieties of Democracy” (V-Dem) based in Gothenburg has ranked Hungary as the first European country to become an authoritarian regime rather than a democracy. However, this rating only applies to countries, not cities.

“In Budapest, we do everything to promote freedom and democracy,” says Le, senior adviser to Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, who took office in 2019 in a surprise victory made possible by the support of a liberal coalition.

The city, she says, upholds democratic values ​​by holding regular citizens’ meetings, a participatory approach to budget allocation and referendums on key decisions.

The ruling city coalitions in Budapest want to promote this approach in Hungary and across Europe.

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And that’s where city diplomats like Oliver Pilz can play a role.

“We have created an international league of free cities which aims to access European funding directly rather than through national governments,” he explains. So far, so good. Thirty-six European cities have joined the Budapest campaign “European Direct Funding for Cities”, while 25 mayors from around the world have signed the “Pact of Free Cities”, a cooperation agreement to share information on best practices in in terms of urban development, alleviating the housing crisis and global warming.

Traditional diplomats also believe in the potential of cities to save democracies. “I am increasingly convinced that cities are not just the cradles of democracy, they have the power to protect and strengthen them,” says former Austrian ambassador to Slovakia Helfried Karl.

“Cities are showing today what the democracies of tomorrow could look like: more inclusive, more participatory, more accessible and more gender balanced,” he adds. Aged 53, he is the head of the non-governmental project “European Capital of Democracy”. This initiative is coordinated by the “Innovation in Politics” institute in Vienna.

“Cities with a good democratic record that invest in participatory infrastructure can apply for this title,” says Carl. According to him, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Mexico City and Switzerland’s fourth largest city, Lausanne, are good examples that demonstrate the potential of capitals and large cities to promote democracy.

• Marietta Le, Budapest: “This is where Budapest’s new meeting center is to be built. Bruno Kaufmann / swissinfo.ch
  
• Oliver Pilz, Budapest: “It is cities that offer solutions to global challenges. Bruno Kaufmann / swissinfo.ch
  
• “Democracy is not just about making joint decisions. It is a question of acting together, that is to say that everyone must be able to participate,” says David Payot from Lausanne. Marine Trotta | City of Lausanne
  
• “The government didn’t like the referendums that were launched,” says Niescho Dubbelboerbei of the optional referendums held for a short time at national level in the Netherlands. Bruno Kaufmann / swissinfo.ch
  
• “Active and interested citizens whom the administration considered disruptive are now welcome,” says Johanna Seppälä, Helsinki. Bruno Kaufmann / swissinfo.ch
  

Democratic ambition and a strong drive for innovation are not only in high demand in Central and Eastern European countries like Hungary, where governments often violate freedoms and human rights. Although their starting position is different, citizens of established Western European democracies are skeptical about the health of their democratic institutions.

Look at Switzerland. Women only got the right to vote in 1971 and 37% of the population still does not have the right to vote.

Lausanne: inclusive pioneer

The situation is different in the city of Lausanne, which is a pioneer in the political inclusion of its citizens, regardless of their national origin.

It’s a practice that David Payot, who oversees democratic issues on the Lausanne city council, strongly believes in, although it hasn’t been adopted by other cities in Switzerland.

“Democracy is not just about making joint decisions,” says Payot. “It’s about acting together, which means everyone should be able to participate.”

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Lausanne has not only introduced the right to vote for foreigners who have been in Switzerland for ten years or more, the municipality also offers foreigners other opportunities to participate in the political life of the city.

“Anyone living in Lausanne, whatever their origin, seniority or age, has the right to vote on the participatory budget*”, explains Payot. The 43-year-old, who has been active in local politics for a quarter of a century, has come to the conclusion that “Lausanne is a place where democracy is at its best”.

Amsterdam: against the dismantling of democracy

Tensions between national and municipal governments are even more pronounced in the Netherlands. It is the first European country to abolish national rights of direct democracy shortly after their launch. Citizen-initiated referenda were introduced in 2015 only to be abolished again by the Dutch parliament three years later.

“The government didn’t like the referendums that were launched,” political scientist Niesco Dubbelboer told SWI swissinfo.ch during a walk along the Meuse in Amsterdam.

After this “democratic misstep”, the Dutch capital’s first female mayor, Femke Halsema, stepped in and drafted a new city constitution with Dubbelboer’s help. Once the new constitution comes into effect on February 1, 2022, almost one million citizens of Amsterdam will get four new popular voting rights to have a say in local politics. With this decision, Amsterdam takes a clear political position against the dismantling of democracy at national level.

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