Centre-left parties in Germany and Italy are putting their futures on the line next week. There's a thriving industry in trying to work out what's gone wrong with social democracy.
Category: Germany
No, not Weimar
Germany heads for another grand coalition. It's not a rerun of the 1930s, regardless of what some commentators think.
Czechs swing rightwards
Another election, another bad result for the centre-left. The future direction of Czech politics is uncertain, although public opinion remains basically centrist.
A very quick election roundup
An occasional feature. This week, Czechia, Japan, New Zealand, Germany, Australia and Catalonia.
Merkel winner or Merkel loser?
Why I think Angela Merkel's performance on Sunday was rather better than you'd think from the newspaper headlines.
Merkel wins, Jamaican
The leader of the free world is returned to office in a result that will probably see her in coalition with the Greens for the first time.
Who needs thresholds, anyway?
New Zealand copied its democratic electoral system from Germany, but also copied its least democratic and now pointless feature.
Election preview: Germany
Germans look set to vote their chancellor a fourth term, but the shape of her next government remains unclear.
A Weimar reflection
Some thoughts on the problem of political extremism, from the birthplace of German republicanism.
Germany, one month out
Germany votes in a month's time, and the polls are giving plenty of encouragement to Angela Merkel.
