There is a lack of trust from people towards the institutions and the political system, the former Secretary General of the United Nations, and founder and chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation, Kofi Annan, said in his speech at the Athens Democracy Forum on Wednesday.
“Democratic freedoms have been in decline for 11 consecutive years,” he said, adding that election turnout is low, which shows that people’s trust in political parties and institutions is diminishing. “We must cherish and protect democracy, or it’ll be lost for future generations,” he added, noting the need to be vigilant.
Annan cited Aristotle in his speech, who said that when wealth is in the hands of the few, there might be disorder, while a large middle class is the backbone of democracy. “The governments seem weak towards global markets. Some people were saving banks while people were losing their homes,” he said with a reference to the 2008 economic crisis in the U.S.
Annan also said that democracy is the only political system that brings sustainable development and peace, noting that elections are an integral part of democracy, in which citizens must be more involved and should not be removed.
Bringing his attention to current issues, he said that the economic and refugee crisis helped populism gain ground. Some of the main reasons people are having difficulty regaining their trust in democratic values are due to the loss of income and important rights from the imposition of austerity, the increase in inequality, and the fact that markets continue to gain money.
The forum has been organized by the New York Times and Kathimerini, and assembles leading policy makers, business leaders, scholars and other experts to define, assess and tackle the critical questions about the world at this moment.
Souces: ANA-MPA
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
