The Romanian nation seems to be obsessed with the idea of being compared unfavorably to Africa and other developing parts of the world. Witness today's headline from Gândul – “Big three in Romania import debate model from Botswana.” This is how the Bucharest daily sums up the scandals and the “dirty and bloody” rows that have marked the presidential campaign, the first round of which is set for 22 November. The three main candidates, incumbent Traian Băsescu (Democratic Party), Mircea Geoană, leader of the Social Democrats, and Crin Antonescu, Liberal leader, have “shunned televised debates, sending their campaign aides in front of the TV cameras” in their stead. This modus operandi is peculiar to Romanians, “but, let us not forget, to weak democracies, too, like Afghanistan, Botswana or Ukraine!” bemoans the daily.
According to the latest regular poll by the agency TNS-CSOP, 34% of the electorate would vote for the incumbent Traian Băsescu, 31% Mircea Geoană (Social Democrats), and 21% Crin Antonescu (Liberals).
The leader of Greece’s leftist alliance SYRIZA is the new bright hope of Greek politics. Steering a course between pragmatism and the rhetoric of class warfare, he has unsettled Berlin, and not just those who back Angela Merkel's austerity policies. 
Europe’s economic woes have forced us to try to understand the secret Olympian world of global finance. But now that we pay more attention to bond yields and stability mechanisms, isn’t it clear that the experts up on their lofty peaks don’t know what’s going on either? 
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest is hosted by Azerbaijan, a country that is far from being a model democracy. An Estonian journalist takes a critical look at the deferential treatment enjoyed by the regime in Baku. 