As leaders seize powers to fight coronavirus, fear grows for democracy

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

BRUSSELS —France and Bolivia have postponed elections. Peru handed its president broad new legislative authority. Israel sharply ramped up the reach of its surveillance state.

While leaders around the world fight the spread of the coronavirus, they’re amassing sweeping new powers. As legislatures limit or suspend activities in the name of social distancing, many of the norms that define democracy — elections, deliberation and debate, checks and balances — have been put on indefinite hold.

The speed and breadth of the transformation is unsettling political scientists, government watchdogs and rights groups. Many concede that emergency declarations and streamlining government decision-making are necessary responses to a global health threat. But they question how readily leaders will give up the powers they’ve accrued when the coronavirus eventually subsides.

“This is a situation where it’s far too easy to make arguments for undue interference with civil rights and liberties,” said Tomas Valasek, a Slovak lawmaker.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/as-leaders-seize-powers-to-fight-coronavirus-fear-grows-for-democracy/ar-BB12wC0t?li=BBnb7Kz

[Pillow talk]

1. so true. we must be on our guard more than ever against powers than will rob democracy

[procon]

2. Trump has been carving out bigger and bigger pieces

of the power mad leader pie since day one of his administration. He's used any excuse from civil unrest, natural disasters, fake emergencies, economic crises and phony conspiracy theories to pump up his power and authority well beyond his Constitutional limitations.

We have a very weak Congress, an unfortunate circumstance that has persisted for decades. The president, any president would be very reluctant to concede any of his official powers, legal of questionable as those might be.

Without a strong legislature to write tight, legal proof laws to rein in and checkmate the widespread powers the president has inherited and usurped for his own benefit, the threat to our fragile democracy will only get worse.

[H2O Man]

3. Recommended.

....can't happen here, though ....right?