Balkaninsight.com

Strongmen may be on the rise in parts of Eastern Europe but fears for the future of European democracy are exaggerated.

People in Turkey are about to vote in a crucial referendum on whether to grant President Recep Tayyip Erdogan more powers, which would transform the domestic political situation and have global consequences.

Newly-formed ‘patriotic associations’ should be investigated for threatening violent protests against a new, opposition-led coalition government, say observers.

Paul Manafort, who managed President Donald Trump’s election campaign, said that he was hired by Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska to help Montenegro gain independence in a referendum in 2006.

President Rumen Radev welcomed controversial legislation proposed by the justice ministry that would limit the voting rights of Bulgarians abroad with the aim of countering political influence from foreign states.

The Western alliance asked Romania to host a counterintelligence unit to support its Black Sea area troops, as the country also awaits a British jet deployment and the largest NATO military exercise in its history.

Members of the Sloga union will join anti-government protests in Belgrade, demanding an end to political influence on state companies and the withdrawal of the Labour Law, which they claim is unjust.

Former Bosnian Serb Army soldier Sasa Cvetkovic was charged with committing war crimes in Srebrenica and Bratunac in 1992, including the murder and rape of civilians.

Relatives and colleagues of opposition journalist Slavko Curuvija marked the 18th anniversary of his death, expressing concern about the slow pace of the trial of Serbian security service officials for his murder.

Questions have been raised about whether footage allegedly showing men filling a ballot box with votes for PM Aleksandar Vucic is genuine or not, but police have launched a probe.

Exports from Albania to Kosovo dropped in 2016, which small and medium-sized businesses blame on difficulties with high customs fees.

Bosnian lawmakers are to discuss an increase in excise taxes required by the International Monetary Fund to ensure a loan payment, but strongly opposed by the country’s farmers.

People travelling between Bosnia and Croatia and the EU passport-free Schengen Area should brace for longer waits as new checks are introduced from Friday.

The Romanian government has started an awareness campaign in schools after unproven claims that the Russian-origin online dare game ‘Blue Whale’ might have caused several juveniles to commit suicides.

Macedonia's politicians who continue to block the formation of a new government are risking a radical shift in Brussels’ and Washington’s attitude and increasing the risk of sanctions being imposed against them.

Thousands of people protested in towns across Serbia against what they call the “dictatorship” of Aleksandar Vucic, the president-elect and current prime minister.

A prison detainee has been found dead in Kosovo, raising concerns that it was linked to his status as a key witness in a different death.

Former Interior Minister Dusan Mihajlovic told a Belgrade court that murdered opposition journalist Slavko Curuvija’s wife said she recognised the interior ministry operative who fired the deadly shots in 1999.

Boyko Borissov is likely to become prime minister of Bulgaria for a third time, leading a coalition government that includes his centre-right party GERB and the nationalist United Patriots.

Balkan countries experienced democratic setbacks in 2016 because of corruption, political interference in the justice system and uncompetitive elections, said a Freedom House report.