Around the world update on political affairs

[Second Summer]

The goal of this thread is to bring our attention to political matters outside of our geographical comfort zones and hopefully learn something new in the process.

This is how is goes: Please post a minimum of two paragraphs about e.g. the currently most important or most hotly debated political issues in your home country, the various political factions and their stances and so on. Use your own words, don't copy and paste! (But feel free to include links to sources.) If someone has already posted about your country, then you have to choose another country. The thread ends only when we've covered all the countries in the world

You're not allowed to comment on another post until you've posted about at least one country. And there can a maximum of 5 comment posts before we need an update on a new country. (I'm making up the rules as I write ... )

And let's not forget to use the "like" buttons to reward particularly well-written updates!

 

[Second Summer]

I'll start with ... *drum roll*

Norway, the fairytale country in northern Europe, the northern part of Scandinavia proper, the home of vikings, trolls, Santa Claus (a.k.a. Nissen) and the modern welfare state. I've not lived there in over 6 years now, but it's my home country and I read online newspapers from there so I should have a clue!

The country went through traumatic events with the Oslo bombing and Utøya massacre last summer. Initially the Labour party scored a lot of sympathy votes in opinion polls since the massacre targeted their annual youth camp event, but the effect seems to have worn off now. It's one year until parliament elections, and the coalition government consisting of the Labour party (oil and gas enthusiasts united), Centre Party (animal-hating farmers) and the Socialist Party ("let's swallow another camel") needs an authentic miracle to stay in power. The latest opinion poll from two days ago shows that the Right Party (oil and gas VIPs united) are likely to more than double their group in parliament, taking votes from both the Labour party and the so-called Progress Party (unlikely union of people on benefits who don't understand their own best interests, the politically uneducated, the easily emotionally manipulated, and a few wayward right-libertarians, under the banners of lower taxes, better health care, repress the Sami land-grabbers and stop the immigration of non-western remote-culturals).

Basically, the goal of covering the country with asphalt, concrete and pollution continues with full force. With the Centre Party in government, the country's handful of wolves and the other wild big predators (bears, lynx, wolverines) live through very dangerous times, while exploitation of farm animals meet with little serious government regulation. The difference between rich and poor are at its highest point ever, and the middle class is on a steady diet of subsidies from the oil and gas sector. House prices are reaching ridiculous levels because of all the money from oil and gas. There are some problems in the capital area coping with high immigration (asylum seekers, family reunions) from faraway places, with evidence of white flight, language problems in schools, hospitals and court rooms etc. If I am to believe online newspapers, the country is also swamped with beggars and criminals from eastern Europe.

 

[IamJen]

Do you really want this to be about just our home countries? I think that will limit us a great deal, yeah?

 

[Second Summer]

Do you really want this to be about just our home countries? I think that will limit us a great deal, yeah?

Okay, the rule has been changed by popular demand. Any country is fine, just as long as it hasn't been posted before.

 

[Freesia]

China is having its election soon.