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EDITORIAL

Dear ,

 

there were moments in 2025 when I felt as if I were living inside an anthill.

 

At Democracy International, my colleagues and I, we were constantly in motion. Everyone was carrying, building, organising, researching, writing, planning. We pushed projects forward, organised events, drafted and published our demands. Step by step. Grain by grain.

 

That’s how an anthill grows. And that’s how democracy grows. 
Not through grand gestures, but through countless small, patient and persistent actions.

 

Every citizen has something to contribute. And those who don’t yet know how – they learn. That is what makes a community strong.

 

But 2025 was also the year of the wild boars.

 

Wild boars that storm through what has been built with so much effort, tearing up structures that took painstaking work to create. They trample through the anthill, destroy what was carefully constructed. It is frustrating – and it makes you angry.

 

The developments in the United States were a sobering and alarming reminder of this: democratic norms can unravel quickly when power is abused, when the balance of powers is no longer respected, and when breaking taboos stops shocking us and suddenly feels normal.
If we look away even for a moment, we can lose far more than we think.

 

But there is one thing I am absolutely certain of:
The “wild boars” never destroy everything.
Some ants always remain. And they begin again.
Not out of recklessness or naivety, but out of conviction: Democracy is worth rebuilding. Every time.

 

And this is exactly what we worked for in 2025

We:

• Expanded democracy education and enabled people of all generations to use their voices.
• Strengthened international participation processes and opened access to new groups.
• Supported civil society partners who are under immense pressure in their countries.
• Deepened our advocacy and media work to keep democratic demands visible, even in noisy times of crisis.

 

2026: We keep building — step by step
In the coming year, we will continue to build patiently, persistently, on the anthill of democracy.
But to do this work independently, effectively and over the long term, we need people who want to be part of this anthill: people who carry, who support, who build together with us.

 

Become a sustaining donor.

 

Your donation gives us the stability to plan ahead, strengthen partners and remain able to act even when democratic principles come under pressure.
If not now, when?

 

Thank you very much for your support.

The Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy,

The 2026 Global Forum will explore how indigenous institutions can inspire modern direct and participatory democracy, while spotlighting citizens' roles in constitutional reform, youth inclusion, and climate justice.

 

Register here for more information.

Setting to explore how democratic innovation is shaped not only by institutions, but by the everyday commitment of citizens.

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Bruno Kaufmann followed the local elections in Denmark with historic results.

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Reimagining democracy and more in a regular publication devoted to local democracy.

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How political participation is implemented in million-plus cities.
WATCH THE WEBINAR HERE.

 

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