Democracy in political cartoons

For German cartoonist Roger Schmidt, the world has turned upside-down. The Left Party wants to slash social benefits, the conservatives are in favor of an energy transition. "Who or what am I really voting for?" Schmidt asks. "There’s no clear position, no breaking of taboos. And linked to it is a lack of authenticity among the parties." Schmidt is actually an engineer but he loves to draw.

“If it wasn’t the US that embodied democracy, you could perhaps convince people in the Middle East of this form of government," Egyptian cartoonist JF Andeel says. He was 19 when he began creating satirical sketches of conditions in his country. In this cartoon, even the ballot box is complaining about electoral fraud. Since 2011, Andeel has been working for the famous daily “Egypt Independent.”

“America is a democracy with many voices and all of them are shouting something else. Turn left, Uncle Sam, turn right – but in the desert you can’t turn anywhere…” That’s how American cartoonist Mike Lester describes his reform-weary country. He’s won many prizes for his apt cartoons as well clinched the award of the National Cartoonist Association several times.

Gomaa Farahat from Cairo is an old hand in the cartoon industry. His trenchant sketches aren’t just popular in Egypt. He also works regularly for American, European and Asian newspapers. Farahat says that while democracy is floundering in Egypt and electoral fraud remains a serious problem, the current situation in Syria is downright catastrophic.

Petér Temesi who works under the alias Hopsy has created graphics for computer games and advertising agencies. Now, he’s turned his sights on democracy. Hungary is still one, he points out, but freedom of expression has been severely curtailed. “The laws are currently made by our Prime Minister Viktor Orban. And they can be used for everything possible,” he says. Even to craft a halo.

“It’s too late for a Russian democracy. Putin has the whole country in his grip. All Russians with any common sense should leave for the West. The secret service and the punch-drunk newly rich can then live happily,” says cartoonist Denis Lopatins. Since 2007, his scathing sketches have been regularly censored. This image disappeared without a trace from a museum. Today, he only draws flowers.

“Greece was, is and will always remain a synonym for democracy, “ internationally renowned Greek cartoonist Bas Mitropoulos says. The 76-year-old has experienced quite a few crises in his country’s recent history. “At the moment, the people have to cope with tough economic cuts. That could endanger social peace,” Mitropoulos says. “We hope that the flag of democracy will still be held high.”

Antonio Mesamadero used to run errands for a daily newspaper. Now he’s a journalist and cartoonist himself. “Most politicians in Spain want the biggest piece of the pie. Corruption rather than humility is the norm,” he says. He questions whether German Chancellor Merkel’s fiscal prescriptions can help save President Mariano Rajoy. In any case, democracy, is already on its last legs, he says.

Egyptian cartoonist Gomaa Farahat considers democracy in many Arab countries to be nothing more than a pretty facade. “The reality holds dictatorships for the people – run either by family clans or by the State,” he says. Religious fanaticism is one of the main reasons why democracy hardly stands a chance, he adds.

Rock, paper, scissors - Who wins in Ukraine is however usually arranged in advance. The big loser is usually democracy and opposition politicians such as Julia Timoshenko. That’s how cartoonist Oleg Smal sees it. “Officially, there is no censorship in Ukraine. But criticism is frowned upon and the government doesn’t use words like democracy,” Smal, who hardly gets any assignments anymore, says.