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Kleis Jager mentioned Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the radical left, as the great inspirer of that day. According to Jager, political scientist Dominique Reynié said that Mélenchon had no chance in the regular way of making it to the second round of next year's presidential elections. Jager wrote that Mélenchon did not want a normal debate about, among other things, the unsustainable national debt or questions about his unaffordable program, but rather sought chaos and violence because that, in his view, was his only chance. #politiek #verkiezingen #samenleving (translated)

Isa Yusibov wrote that October 17, 2003, was a day of conflicting feelings for him: he wished it had never happened, but he was also proud of it. He was 14 years old at the time and said his family had considered him an adult since then. The day after the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, in which his father played an important role according to him, Yusibov claimed to be one of the first victims of the repression against the pro-Western opposition. He wrote that he was beaten, humiliated, and spat on in front of about 300 to 400 students. Afterwards, he received his school file and was informed that he was no longer welcome because his father was considered a state enemy. Yusibov said that on his way to the exit, he made eye contact with teachers who had treated him kindly before the elections. Several teachers reportedly gestured for him to leave quickly. He wrote that the experience made him proud of his father and convinced him that the dictatorship would continue. A month later, his family reportedly fled to the Netherlands. The event compelled him to focus on geopolitics. Yusibov argued that the power transition surrounding Aliyev was a consensus among the West, Putin, Erdogan, and Iran. According to him, the West, led by Bush, had betrayed the democrats in Azerbaijan in favor of authoritarian stability. He also wrote that great power interests dictated politics in the Caucasus and that this situation had not changed 23 years later. Yusibov stated that his experiences had taught him how difficult it was to stand up for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. He wrote that he had seen the first signs of undermining democratic principles in the Netherlands as well, by parties that he believed targeted democracy. He referred to a previous interview with NRC and said he would not allow the Netherlands to become a country where the government disregarded fundamental rights. #Democratie #Mensenrechten #Geopolitiek (translated)

Donald Trump, with his scandalous plan to obtain Russian diesel, has not only jeopardized Ukraine's struggle for survival but has also exposed Europe to Russian aggression, all to minimize his own losses in the upcoming midterm elections. #DonaldTrump #Oekraïne #RussischeAggressie (translated)

Dr. Jan van de Beek stated that asylum seekers did not form a small group and that together with Ukrainians they made up a third of the population growth due to migration. https://t.co/sPxY7hjpqQ #Asiel #JanvandeBeek #Migratie #Verkiezingen #Asiel #Migratie #Bevolkingsgroei (translated)

Europe Elects reported that an Ipsos I&O poll in the Netherlands put PRO-G/EFA|S&D at 18% (+1), JA21-ECR and PVV-PfE at 12% (+3 and +1), and D66-RE and VVD-RE at 10% each (-3). CDA-EPP was at 8% (-1), FvD-ESN at 7% (-1), PvdD-LEFT and SP-LEFT at 4% each, 50PLUS-RE, CU-EPP and SGP-ECR at 3% each, DENK-* and Volt-G/EFA at 2% each, BBB-ECR at 1% (-1), and DNA-* at 0%. The changes were compared with 1–2 September 2026. Europe Elects said fieldwork took place on 12–14 October 2026 and the sample included 1,697 people. https://t.co/J69pWARnYm #Nederland #verkiezingen #polls (translated)

President Trump will use every means, legal or not, to ensure that he gets the outcomes he wants this year. Democratic Senator Mark Warner expressed concern this week to The New York Times that Trump may claim there is foreign interference and use that as a reason to seize voting machines. #Trump #Midterms #Verkiezingen (translated)

Supporters of Donald Trump advocate for drastic measures around the Congressional elections if they suspect that these are not taking place fairly, including possibly declaring a state of emergency, despite the lack of evidence for election fraud. #Trump #Midterms #Verkiezingen (translated)

A Brazilian judge has ordered Meta to stop the unequal treatment of presidential candidates Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, after it was revealed that campaign messages from Lula were being hidden while those of Bolsonaro were prioritized. #Meta #Brazilië #verkiezingen (translated)

Maurits Vande Reyde wrote that, in his opinion, tax increases were too obvious in Belgium. He stated that academics, experts, and journalists often defended increases as difficult but inevitable and economically sensible, while political opponents were dismissed as enfant terrible. In Flanders, according to Vande Reyde, within less than two years, registration fees and costs for waste management had been increased, a road tax had been introduced, and various levies had risen, especially for entrepreneurs. The promised reduction of inheritance tax had also been scrapped. No party had announced these measures before the elections, he wrote. Vande Reyde added that, in the meantime, nothing was happening to reduce the state apparatus. According to him, cuts at the federal level were deemed impossible, while the removal of a small amount of Flemish subsidies was portrayed for weeks as an infringement of universal human rights. He also stated that the press regularly presented so-called spontaneous testimonials from people who almost always turned out to be PVDA activists, and that others viewed things differently. #Belastingverhogingen #Vlaanderen #Politiek (translated)

The negotiations for a new European budget for the period 2028-2034 are stalled, with contradictions between net contributors and countries advocating for a larger budget, while time pressure increases due to upcoming elections in several EU countries. #EUbegroting #onderhandelingen #politiek (translated)