Free and fair elections are a central, perhaps the central, feature of liberal democracies, backed by the rule of law. But today, many argue the law has itself become a political weapon, as the word 'lawfare' — recently named word of the year — testifies. In the US, the right insists courts were weaponised to prevent Trump’s second term, while the left now claims he has used the law to target opponents. In France, Le Pen was barred from political office following a conviction many see as politically motivated. While in Germany, the AfD has been classified as extremist, authorising government surveillance and prompting the President and 150 MPs to call for them to be banned despite their leading in some polls.
Should we see the law not as a safeguard of democracy, but as a weapon that can undermine it? Should we resign ourselves to the fact that those with power and influence will always seek to manipulate the law? Or can we secure democracy and our way of life by refining the law to stop its political use?
Should we see the law not as a safeguard of democracy, but as a weapon that can undermine it? Should we resign ourselves to the fact that those with power and influence will always seek to manipulate the law? Or can we secure democracy and our way of life by refining the law to stop its political use?
