“My strongest memory around the feeling of democratisation is the determination and willingness of the youth in my country to organise and fight back against authoritarianism in Albania. Here we are: standing strong and fighting back, as workers by building strong and democratic labour unions; as students by demanding good, accessible and free public education; as women and LGBTQ+ individuals by struggling for equality and a life of dignity; as minorities and citizens of the Republic of Albania.”
Gresa Hasa,
Activist and Journalist
“When I think of democratisation in the future, I would like to witness citizens negotiating in good faith, guided by an interest in learning and collaboration. Peaceful exchange of views and ideas has been the bedrock of democracy since its origins in ancient Greece – and we are all called upon to practice and safeguard it every day anew.”
Anna Herrhausen,
Executive Director of the Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft
“When I think of democratisation in the future, I think of a political class which is as diverse as our societies. I believe that in order for every citizen to feel represented and involved in democratic processes, politicians should come from different backgrounds and cultures. As a young French woman of Caribbean descent, I know that representation matters for everyone to truly have a say. Young generations need leaders they can identify with.”
Ophélie Omnes,
President of the Union of European Federalists France
“My strongest memory around the feeling of democratisation comes up when I think about my first vote. I was so overwhelmed by the trust of being let into the country and then able to help decide on the parliament that I joined a political party that same day.”
Marina Weisband,
Psychologist and Expert for Digital Participation and Education
“My strongest memory around the feeling of democratisation is growing up in Kenya as a Somali refugee and realising that if my native country had upheld democracy, my family and millions of Somalis would not be displaced.”
Farah Abdi,
Author and Blogger
“My strongest memory around the feeling of democratisation is decency. The first thing you realize when democracy starts melting is that the tone of the political speech deteriorates, rage emerges behind the words and rivals become enemies.”
Zsuzsanna Szelényi,
Politician and former Member of the Hungarian National Assembly
“My strongest memory around the feeling of democratisation is learning as a child the Greek etymology of the word “democracy” and being awe-inspired by the idea of collective self-rule by free and equal citizens.”
John Tasioulas,
Director of the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford
“My strongest memory around the feeling of democratisation is the amazement that people can accomplish the purely technical component of holding fair mass elections, and through doing so, combine self-empowerment and equality. I personally experienced elections for the first time in my Swabian hometown on 16 October 1994.”
Hedwig Richter,
Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the Universität der Bundeswehr in Munich
“When I think of democratisation in the future, I think of a new paradigm of open democracy – a system that takes democracy beyond the narrow scope of elections and opens up democratic representation to ordinary citizens. A future where every person will receive an invitation to fulfill their civic duty to serve as a democratic representative in an assembly that reflects the true diversity of society. And where all citizens have ongoing chances to flex their democratic muscles and strengthen their democratic fitness – empowered as agents of change and treated as equals.”
Claudia Chwalisz,
Innovative Citizen Participation Lead at OECD
“When I think of democratisation in the future, I think of transnational social movements such as Fridays for Future. I am inspired by their courage to speak up, which should remind us that we as individuals and groups are agents with the potential to spark profound democratic change – even on a global scale.”
Dominic Schwickert,
Executive Director of Das Progressive Zentrum
“When I think of democratisation in the future, I would like to witness political and cultural elites actually listening to public opinion. I’ve noticed a strange trend in elite political and intellectual circles; a deep disdain for “ordinary” people and their opinions. But democracy has to entail taking the opinions of citizens seriously.”
Yascha Mounk,
Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University and Publicist
“When I think of democratisation in the future, I would like to witness the removal of barriers to political participation for persons with disabilities. The political sphere must be
more accessible to all.”
Raúl Aguayo-Krauthausen,
Activist
“When I think of democratisation in the future, I would like to witness intersectional thinking and sustainable collaboration. I would be sitting in a circle with scientists, activists, lawyers, artists, and politicians who bring together climate, gender, social, racial, and economic justice.”
Kübra Gümüşay,
Author and Journalist
“My strongest memory around the feeling of democratisation is being astonished and touched by the first demonstrations I witnessed in Germany. What is considered a right for many here might be fatal elsewhere, for those who never witnessed real democracy in their cultures and countries and are still dreaming of this phenomenon.”
Entisar Almasri,
Humanitarian Worker and Civil Engineer from Syria
“When I think about democratisation, I would like to witness a political space beyond voting. Elections are no longer enough to ensure democracy. Hence, the need to accompany representation with all sorts of political action: volunteering, demonstrating, citizen lobbying, and protesting. Democracy’s new job is to make sense of these many and varied forms of political agency.”
Alberto Alemanno,
Author, Public Interest Lawyer and Civic Entrepreneur at The Good Lobby
“When I think of democratisation in the future, I would like to witness a shared and practiced commitment to dignity, liberty, and equality, the fundamental triangle of human rights.”
Prof. Dr. Susanne Baer LL.M., Judge of the German Federal Constitutional Court
“When I think of democratisation in the future, I would like to witness powerful, substantive, and democratic institutions in Romania. Romania has all the external features of a democratic system: elections, parliament, government – only the institutions do not work. I would like to see that the laws we have in place strengthen the democratic functionality of these institutions.”
Dan Harhoiu,
Former employee at the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture