Report Corruption in Europe

Dark days for democracy

The day Silvio Berlusconi was convicted in Italy of tax evasion, Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy was forced make a speech before parliament over claims he received under-the-counter bonus payments. These affairs are poisoning the continent's political life, writes Le Monde.

Published on 2 August 2013 at 15:34

They are, unfortunately, nearly daily scenes from political life in Europe. Leaders, sometimes at the highest level of the state, are questioned about corruption, questionable ethics, or illegal financing of their parties. Less than 10 months before the European elections on May 25, 2014, these scenes in France, Italy and Spain are fuelling public distrust of the politicians and damaging democracy.

In Italy, Silvio Berlusconi had his sentence of four years in prison for tax evasion confirmed by the Supreme Court on Thursday, August 1. Thanks to an amnesty passed in 2006, Il Cavaliere, who was three times president of the Council, saw his sentence reduced to one year, and owing to his advanced age, 76, he will not have to serve it behind bars. [[The charges themselves, however, point to an Italian political system that is on the ropes.]]

In Spain, where the monarchy has been undermined by scandals, the head of the government had to make a humiliating confession to parliament on Thursday, August 1. Mariano Rajoy, fervently but unconvincingly, denied all the accusations of irregular financing of the People's Party that had been made by the former treasurer of his party, Luis Bárcenas, who has been in prison since the end of June for tax evasion. Mr Rajoy, who admitted only to the mistake of having trusted Mr Bárcenas, was seeking, he declared, “to stop the erosion of the image of Spain.” The Socialist opposition has demanded his resignation. The Socialists, though, have been unable to rebuild their party ever since their debacle in the elections of November 2011 that led to the collapse of the party of José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

Manna from heaven for the populists

France, unfortunately, does not paint a prettier picture, thanks to the daily grind of affairs that, in different areas and to different degrees, strike out at both Right and Left. A Minister of the Republic, Jérôme Cahuzac, lied for months to the president of the Republic and the French public about the existence of a bank account in Switzerland. His admission, which came after his resignation, provoked a true political earthquake. A former president of the Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy, has seen his campaign account invalidated by the Constitutional Council because he failed to respect the rules of the game – the limits on campaign expenses – of which he ought to have been the guarantor. The affairs are multiplying, hitting Sarkozy and his allies on the Right and, on the Left, Socialist leaders, who are accused of corruption. [[This phenomenon has increased the mistrust of the public, which is growing stronger and stronger with each investigation, delighting the National Front]].

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In a Europe in crisis, where pessimism is spreading deeper over the continent with every day, what is happening in Italy, Spain and France, not to mention Romania and Bulgaria, is providing devastating impressions of these democracies.

In May, an Ipsos poll of 6,198 Europeans came out with some alarming figures. To the question of who is offering constructive solutions in response to the crisis, the “government” was cited by only 21 per cent of respondents in France, 19 per cent in Spain, and 15 per cent in Italy – against 45 per cent in Germany. If this noxious political atmosphere continues, there are fears that populism will enjoy a surge at the polls in May 2014.

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