Who's really meddling in Europe's elections?
President Trump has been back in Europe; and back at work pushing NATO to expand and to do more.
Of course, he will be criticised by the Globalists for upsetting the Establishment consensus. They will say he is a man singularly responsible for undermining world peace, the rules-based order and democratic values around the world.
Their voices are notably silent when it comes to condemning terror groups like Hamas, Al Shabab, ISIS and Hezbollah, but Trump Derangement Syndrome is shrill when it comes to criticising strong world leadership.
From what they say, you’d think President Trump is considered more reprehensible and authoritarian than the murderous regimes and dictators that sadly still cling to power in places like Russia, China, North Korea - and Iran. At least that is often the mood when Trump’s name is uttered in the refined and polite political circles of Europe. Attacking him is a warped badge of respectability for Europe’s Left.
I remember the outrage amongst EU leaders when President Trump and his administration lent their support for the former Hungarian PM, Victor Orban. The EU Commission’s President, Ursula Von der Leyen, has spoken very strongly about foreign interference in elections. It is an act of gross hypocrisy from someone who was elected by just 401 people – not millions – 401 MEPs, with 284 MEPs voting against her (July 2019). This is not exactly a ringing democratic endorsement.
Yet with such little backing, she seeks to dictate on democratic elections in Europe. Her words at December’s Politico 28 gala, shortly after Trump’s National Security Strategy was published, spring to mind. The US paper warned of civilisational erasure in Europe if it continued the same path it was on. That it was the duty of the USA to support politicians and causes that it believed would strengthen Europe and to remain allies of the USA.
She said: “It is not on us, when it comes to elections, to decide who the leader of the country will be, but on the people of this country … That’s the sovereignty of the voters, and this must be protected… Nobody else is supposed to interfere, without any question.”
Strong words indeed. They were repeated breathlessly across the media landscape with prominent headlines such as “Don’t meddle in European democracy, von der Leyen tells Trump”.
But her double standards are plain to see. She does not follow her own words when it comes to EU policy. How else would you describe the EU’s willingness to throw money and legitimacy behind non-EU politicians it deems pro-EU and anti-Russian?
Take the examples of Moldova and Armenia, this included providing substantial cash and dubiously named ‘Election Integrity Operations’. Operations that just so happened to support the preferred candidate of the EU.
In other words, she is doing exactly what Trump’s strategy proposed; but with concrete interfering actions rather than just speaking favourably of candidates.
The Armenian opposition have decided to not accept this. Despite the supposed eagle eyes of the EU’s election watchers, there were examples of election rigging documented by opposition groups on the election day and in the run-up.
Despite these documented cases, and the election being officially disputed through the courts as a result – President Von der Leyen was only too happy to celebrate the result. But why wouldn’t she? After all, EU officials engaged almost exclusively with the Armenian government whilst failing to maintain meaningful dialogue with opposition parties and other dissenting voices. They had chosen a preferred political outcome long before the election had started, let alone been properly scrutinised.
Now, coalescing behind the largest opposition group’s leader, Samvel Karapetyan, legal action has been launched against the EU. They allege that Brussels ignored mass arrests, attacks on the Church, and electoral fraud, to back the Armenian Prime Minister and, even then, he failed to win a majority of votes, despite the EU’s interference.
The opposition have also sounded the alarm about Pashinyan’s control of the courts meaning that their challenge is likely to fail. It is this control that has allowed him to arrest political opponents with impunity.
It is abundantly clear the European Union has not acted as a neutral observer, as it should, and as Von Leyen claims as their aim. No, it has chosen to support a government that has overseen widespread arrests, targeted its critics, attacked the Church and weakened democratic safeguards.
Brussels cannot claim to be a defender of democracy while ignoring these abuses and refusing to engage seriously with opposition voices. The EU’s actions have helped shield the Pashinyan government from accountability. In claiming to resist Russian interference, Ms. Von der Leyen has instead led a campaign of interference, hypocrisy and damage to the rule of law.
Sadly, due to my time as an MEP I can tell you that the EU behaving hypocritically – or indeed badly - is nothing new.
The behaviour of the European Union tarnishes every principle it claims to stand for and places the very existence of Armenia in jeopardy. Pashinyan will be emboldened to continue paying lip service to the EU, while surrendering Armenia’s future to the whims of Turkey and Azerbaijan. Both of whom do not recognise the Armenian genocide; as the world has now done.
As ever, Von der Leyen gives the impression she supports democracy, but in reality is undermining it.
David is a former leading Brexiteer MEP for the East of England (2009-19), Government Special Adviser, and serves as Chairman of the cross-party Freedom Association
