Every year on 15 September, the global community observes the International Day of Democracy, originally established by the United Nations General Assembly as an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world.

For us liberals, democracy means many things, from fair and independent elections to freedom of expression, from the right to protest to impartial administration. For us, democracy also means having your say and listening to the will of the people, and that is what we strive for every day of the year.

However, especially in the light of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic this year, many of these democratic principles and cornerstones have been – and continue to be – threatened, in countries such as China, Hungary and Poland.

“Democracy, Civil Liberties and Fundamental Human Rights are under threat, now more than in past decades. COVID-19 provides the pretext for many dictators and authoritarian leaders to try brainwashing societies. We should fight back and preserve democracy at large!”, ALDE Party President Hans van Baalen said on the day.

Watch the video below or on our Youtube channel

Democracy, Civil Liberties and Fundamental Human Rights are under threat, now more than in past decades. COVID-19 provides the pretext for many dictators and authoritarian leaders to try brainwashing societies. We should fight back and preserve democracy at large! #DemocracyDay https://t.co/qMgfDroqxZ

— Hans van Baalen (@hansvanbaalen) September 15, 2020

President Hans van Baalen also contributed to a video produced by Liberal International, in which liberal leaders discussed the state of democracy in their respective regions. You can watch the video here or below