2018-10-19
In recent months, Green parties around the world have been experiencing tremendous highs and disappointing lows.
By Vivienne Glance
A lot has happened around the world in the past month with regard to Green parties – from highs in Rwanda to lows in Brazil.
Triumph in Rwanda
Following the Rwandan election on 2 September, we received some great news: two Greens MPs, Dr Frank Habineza and Jean Claude Ntezimana, were elected for the first time to Parliament.
Dr Habineza is the founder and chairman of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda. He has endured threats and being forced into exile following the suspicious 2010 murder of former Greens vice-chairman André Kagwa Rwisereka. Just this month, Dr Habineza was elected as vice president to the Social Affairs Commission in the Parliament’s Chamber of Deputies.
The Democratic Green Party in Rwanda is a full member of the African Greens Federation, which is part of the Global Greens.
Another cause for celebration is that the Rwandan Parliament has 61 percent of its seats held by women – the highest number of female politicians anywhere in the world.
Bavarian wins
In the elections in Bavaria, Germany, there were concerns that the rise of right-wing parties would have an impact on the results. But that was not the whole story. While the conservative Christian Social Union (Angela Merkel’s sister party) vote was reduced from an absolute majority, the anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany secured over 10 percent of the votes.
But in contrast to this, the German Greens (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) doubled their vote to around 17.5 percent. They are now the second biggest party in the Bavarian state parliament.
Stormy seas in Sweden
But it’s not all plain sailing for Greens parties globally. The shift in politics to the right around the world, and the disillusionment of voters with major parties, means that countries where Greens were previously influential are now facing challenges.
Held on September 9, the Swedish election saw MiljöParteit, or the Swedish Greens, suffering a reduction in representation. Having held 25 seats in the Rikstag after both the 2010 and the 2016 elections, this number has dropped to just 16 seats this year.
The Swedish Greens had been working in coalition and introduced the first climate law in Sweden's history. However, the rise of the right-wing, populist, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats is a big concern.
Troubles in Brazil
In the national elections in Brazil on 7 October, Partido Verde – the Green Party – won four seats in the Chamber of Deputies, the country’s federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil.
The news headlines have focused mostly on the current Brazilian presidential election run-off. The election is a concern, with a recent attack being treated as a political murder.
The far right-wing, anti-abortionist and anti-LGBTIQ rights candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, is running against Fernando Haddad of the Workers Party on 28 October.
Better news
On a more positive note, the signatories to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (as of 15 October 2018) has grown to 69 with 19 ratifications.
The Global Issues Group of the Australian Greens are hoping to host Daryl Le Cornu, a board member of the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), at our November National Conference in Springwood, NSW. ICAN was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on 6 October 2017 for its amazing efforts towards a nuclear weapons-free world.
And at the recent Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru, Pacific leaders spoke out about many things, including the need for urgent action on global warming and climate change, and about the abuses by Indonesia in West Papua.
A rockin’ invitation
Show your support for the West Papuan people and have a great night out by supporting Rockin’ for West Papua.
Musicians, DJs, spoken word and visual artists all around the world are gathering for the third consecutive year to participate in the annual peace concerts taking place this October. The event has a very clear message: Stop the genocide in West Papua, and give the people of West Papua their freedom.
All up there are 16 gigs scheduled across three continents – and they are gearing up to make some serious noise for West Papua. In Australia, there are shows scheduled in Sydney, the Gold Coast, Ipswich, Cairns, Hobart and Melbourne.
Visit the event's website for more information about gig dates and bands.
To follow Greens activities in our region and globally, visit Facebook pages and websites for the Australian Greens Go Global, the Asia Pacific Greens Federation and the Global Greens.
Vivienne Glance is the Australian Greens International Secretary, the Global Issues Group Convenor, and an ex-officio member of our International Development Committee. She is contactable via international.secretary@greens.org.au or +61 (0)421 749 853.