Elections in three very different countries share a common desire to change the status quo.

Source:Carnegie Europe Date:02Apr2019

In terms of size, Slovakia is a minnow, dwarfed by Ukraine and Turkey. This small Central European country is embedded in the European Union and NATO, and is a member of the eurozone. Turkey is in NATO, but it is far from clear if it will ever join the EU. Ukraine, as the EU’s big and important eastern neighbor, has aspirations to become fully integrated into the Euro-Atlantic structures.

But these countries share one thing in common. During last weekend’s elections, the public rejected the status quo. It was a status quo perpetuated by corruption and the erosion of the rule of law. In varying degrees, a combination of nepotism and oligarchs chiseled away at the democratic institutions.

Can the elections change thir fortunes, asks Judy  Dempsey?