The algorithmic empire by Thanos Kalamidas

The United Nations has discovered artificial intelligence. The machines, unfortunately, discovered the United Nations some time ago. That is the uncomfortable joke behind the grand discussions now surrounding AI governance. World leaders gather in New York, pronounce the words security, responsibility, humanity, and international cooperation, and then return to governments that still struggle to regulate yesterday’s technology. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is moving at a speed that makes diplomatic procedure look almost geological.

The problem is not that the UN is discussing AI, it absolutely must. The problem is that much of the conversation risks being conducted through the mental architecture of the twentieth century: identify the dangerous technology, establish rules, create monitoring mechanisms, and hope sovereign states behave themselves. It worked, imperfectly, for nuclear weapons. AI is something else entirely.

A nuclear weapon requires extraordinary physical infrastructure. AI requires computing power, energy, data, talent, chips, and access to networks. These resources are not distributed remotely equally.

The UN itself has acknowledged this enormous capacity gap. Its current discussions include proposals for stronger access to infrastructure, skills, data, and technology, whilst a recent UN report highlighted fragmented financing for AI capacity-building in developing countries. The first Global Dialogue on AI Governance was deliberately designed to bring the Global South into the conversation.

That is welcome. But participation is not the same thing as power. A country can have a seat at the diplomatic table and still have no semiconductor industry, no hyperscale data centres, inadequate electricity grids, limited research capacity, and little influence over the companies developing the most powerful models.

This is where the AI debate becomes uncomfortable. The great technological powers are not merely developing products; they are building the infrastructure upon which everyone else may eventually depend. The danger is therefore not only that AI might become autonomous, malicious, or uncontrollable. The quieter danger is dependency.

The Global South could become the customer, the data source, the testing ground, and eventually the labour market of an AI economy designed somewhere else. That would be an old colonial pattern wearing a new digital suit.

This is why the UN cannot allow AI governance to become another exclusive conversation among governments, technology corporations, and the countries that possess the money to build the machines. António Guterres has warned that power is increasingly shifting towards a handful of private corporations and individuals, whilst global institutions still reflect an older distribution of power. That observation goes directly to the heart of the AI problem.

There is also a delicious contradiction here. Some governments argue that global regulation would interfere with innovation. Others demand stronger international rules. Technology companies themselves increasingly acknowledge that no single country or company can manage the technology alone. At the same time, the companies possessing the greatest technical capacity remain overwhelmingly concentrated in a small number of states.

So who exactly is writing the rules? And for whom?

AI governance cannot simply become nuclear non-proliferation with better software. The objective should not merely be preventing catastrophic misuse by powerful states; it must also prevent the creation of a permanent technological hierarchy in which a handful of countries own the intelligence and everybody else rents it.

The UN therefore needs to talk about infrastructure with the same seriousness with which it talks about ethics. Electricity, broadband, data centres, computing capacity, education, open research, local-language systems, and technical skills are not peripheral development issues, they are the foundations of technological sovereignty.

Otherwise, we may succeed spectacularly in regulating the future whilst leaving most of humanity without any meaningful ownership of it. That would not be global governance. It would simply be global dependency with a United Nations logo on the paperwork. The machines will not care who writes the rules. People should.

The violence we normalize by Mia Rodríguez

October 2 is the International Day of Non-Violence, chosen because it is the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the man who demonstrated that political resistance does not require becoming what one is resisting. The United Nations created the day to promote a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence.

There is something almost brutally ironic about celebrating that principle in 2026. We live in an age in which violence has become political language. Not merely the violence of wars, bombs and guns, but the violence of intimidation, humiliation, militarised policing, political threats and the deliberate creation of fear. Violence has become a performance, and politics has discovered that frightened people are easier to mobilise than hopeful ones.

America offers perhaps the most disturbing illustration. Under Donald Trump, immigration enforcement has become one of the central theatres of this politics. ICE has expanded arrests on a massive scale, while federal immigration officers have increasingly become visible instruments of a campaign built around deportation and deterrence. In July and August, ICE recorded more than 50,000 arrests per month, according to figures reported this year.

And then there are the guns. In September, an ICE officer shot Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a Venezuelan man, in Austin, Texas, during an immigration enforcement operation. Perez was subsequently placed in federal custody while seriously wounded; his attorney disputed important elements of the government's account. The circumstances remain under investigation.

That is precisely where a democratic society should stop and ask a very simple question: When did enforcement become synonymous with force?

Nobody seriously argues that a state does not need laws, borders, police or immigration procedures. A functioning society requires them. But the existence of authority does not give authority a moral blank cheque. The state possesses extraordinary power precisely because an individual does not. That imbalance creates an extraordinary responsibility.

And violence does not begin with a bullet. It begins with language. When political leaders describe opponents as enemies, immigrants as invaders, protesters as criminals and disagreement as betrayal, they are not simply choosing colourful vocabulary. They are lowering the psychological barrier against violence. Once another human being has been transformed into an enemy category, cruelty becomes easier to justify.

This is why the International Day of Non-Violence matters. Not because repeating the word peace once a year will magically make politicians peaceful. It matters because non-violence is not passivity. Gandhi understood that perfectly. Non-violence can be confrontation without hatred, resistance without revenge, courage without brutality.

The alternative is frighteningly simple: answering violence with greater violence until nobody remembers who started it. Police officers deserve protection. Migrants deserve human dignity. Protesters deserve lawful assembly. Citizens deserve security. Government deserves legitimate authority. None of these principles cancels the others.

That is the point. A democracy is not measured by how efficiently it can frighten people. It is measured by how firmly it can exercise power without losing its humanity. The political temptation of violence is that it produces immediate images of strength. A uniform. A convoy. A raid. A detention centre. A wall. A weapon. A frightened crowd. It looks decisive on television.

But strength and brutality are not synonyms. The real test of power is whether those who possess it can restrain themselves. On October 2, the world will once again remember Gandhi. Perhaps this year we should remember something more uncomfortable: non-violence is not an antique philosophy belonging to another century. It is a warning to our own.

Because when governments teach citizens that fear is strength, when police power becomes spectacle, and when political leaders discover that anger is easier to sell than compassion, violence no longer needs to be declared. It simply becomes normal. And once violence becomes normal, democracy has already begun to lose something much more important than an argument. It has begun to lose its soul.

#eBook The Verdant Apocalypse by Ana Salinas

 

It began not with a bang, nor a shriek of tearing metal, but with a subtle wrongness in the air, a scent too sweet, too cloying, like overripe fruit rotting beneath a humid sun.

Professor Aris Jonasson, a man whose very bones were composed of empirical data and sceptical gristle, was the first to notice. He stood within his beloved greenhouse, a grand cathedral of wrought iron and leaded glass, when he heard it. It was a whisper, not in his ears, but vibrating within his very thoughts: a soft, sibilant rustle, like a million leaves rubbing together in a silent, coordinated language.

He turned, his heart a frantic drum against his ribs. His prized Venus flytrap, a specimen he had cultivated for a decade, was no longer merely a botanical curiosity. Its jaws, usually dormant, were slowly, deliberately opening and closing in a rhythmic, almost mocking salute. The ivy clinging to the red-brick walls was no longer climbing; it was watching. A thick tendril, emerald-green and pulsating with an unsettling, dark sap, snaked across the stone floor. It sought neither moisture nor soil, but aimed directly for his ankle.

"Aris? What is taking you so long with the soil samples?"

Ana Salinas, a desk worker trapped in a cubicle, dreams of escaping to the moon in a hot air balloon, much like Phileas Fogg, though she suspects Jules Verne may have exaggerated the comfort of those Victorian contraptions.

Ovi eBook Publishing 2026

The Verdant Apocalypse

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Berserk Alert! #121 #Cartoon by Tony Zuvela

 

Tony Zuvela and his view of the world around us in a constant berserk alert!
For more Berserk Alert! HERE!
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Ma-Siri & Co #131 #Cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

Ma-Siri is a mother, a grandmother and a very active social life,
searching for the meaning of life among other things and her glasses.

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The fragmentation trap by Marja Heikkinen

Globalization was never the beautiful, borderless paradise its salesmen promised. It was messy, unequal and frequently unfair. But it had one extraordinary virtue: it created habits of dependence. Countries that traded together had reasons to keep talking, negotiating and, occasionally, behaving themselves.

That bargain is now cracking. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand went to the 81st United Nations General Assembly and described the moment with unusually blunt language: “We are facing a rupture, not a transition.” Her warning was not simply about tariffs or trade disputes. Canada sees great powers dismantling economic integration and forcing smaller and middle-sized countries to reconsider the dangerous assumption that the global economy will remain open and predictable.

This is the real story. The old globalization depended on institutions, the WTO, common rules, predictable markets, international supply chains and the increasingly boring but enormously valuable idea that economic cooperation could exist above geopolitical rivalry. Today, boredom has become a luxury.

Security is invading economics. Economics is becoming security. Chips are security. Critical minerals are security. Energy is security. Artificial intelligence is security. Ports, shipping lanes, batteries, food supplies and telecommunications are all being dragged into the same geopolitical calculation.

The world is not simply deglobalizing. It is reorganizing itself into strategic neighbourhoods. And that creates a particularly uncomfortable problem for middle powers. Canada can no longer assume that geography and economic interdependence will automatically protect it. Nor can Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Australia, South Korea, Singapore or dozens of other countries whose prosperity depends upon access to markets far beyond their borders. These countries may have sophisticated economies, strong institutions and capable governments, but they do not possess the military, financial or demographic weight of the superpowers.

When the big boys divide the playground, the smaller children do not get to draw the lines. Anand's response is therefore revealing. Canada is talking about “strategic autonomy,” diversification and new partnerships while simultaneously arguing for stronger multilateral institutions. Ottawa wants closer relations with Europe, deeper engagement across the Indo-Pacific, Gulf, Latin America and Africa, and cooperation with middle powers.

That is not merely Canadian diplomacy. It may be the survival manual for the middle powers. But there is a trap here. Regional security blocs can provide protection, yet they can also reproduce the fragmentation they were created to manage. A country joining one economic-security network inevitably becomes more dependent on that network. Supply chains are duplicated, markets become politically conditioned and commercial decisions acquire strategic price tags.

The world begins to resemble a collection of fortified islands, each proudly proclaiming independence while quietly discovering that everything inside the walls costs more. The United Nations itself has recognized the danger. Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that multipolarity could produce either greater networked cooperation or a “Great Fracture” of rival economic, technological and security systems. The difference matters enormously.

Because globalization did not disappear when countries became angry with it. It became something more dangerous: fragmented globalization. And fragmentation is not neutral. It favours those with enormous domestic markets, military power, financial reserves and technological monopolies. It leaves middle powers bargaining for access, exemptions and security guarantees.

The irony is almost unbearable. Countries are building walls in the name of sovereignty while discovering that sovereignty without economic resilience is merely a more elegant word for vulnerability. The answer cannot be nostalgia for the old globalization. That world had serious failures and inequalities. Nor can it be the fantasy that every country can become economically self-sufficient.

The answer is a new multilateralism capable of surviving geopolitical competition. Otherwise, today's protectionism will become tomorrow's architecture. And once the architecture is built, nobody will remember when the temporary walls became permanent borders. That is the rupture Canada is warning about. The frightening part is not that globalization is ending. It is that we may be replacing it with something much harder to dismantle.

The chokepoint weapon by Harry S. Taylor

The most dangerous weapon in the Strait of Hormuz is not necessarily a missile, a submarine or a drone. It is the narrow strip of water itself. That is the lesson the Middle East is teaching the world in 2026, and it is a lesson governments, corporations and consumers should have learned long ago. In the twenty-first century, geopolitical power is increasingly exercised not by conquering territory but by controlling the places through which everything else must pass.

Iran’s offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under conditions acceptable to Tehran was never simply about shipping. It was about leverage. The proposal reportedly linked reopening the waterway to reduced American military pressure and the lifting of the blockade on Iranian ports. Tehran was effectively reminding Washington that a few kilometres of strategically placed sea can become a bargaining chip for an entire nation.

That is the new battlefield. Forget the old military map for a moment. Look instead at the map of global supply chains. Hormuz is one chokepoint. Others include the Suez Canal, Bab el-Mandeb, the Bosporus, the Panama Canal and increasingly the underwater networks of cables and pipelines. Whoever can threaten the passage does not need to occupy a capital. They merely need to make ships hesitate.

And hesitation is expensive. A tanker waiting offshore is not just a tanker. It is delayed fuel, delayed electricity, delayed fertiliser, delayed industrial production and eventually a higher bill in somebody's supermarket. The modern economy has become extraordinarily efficient precisely because it has become extraordinarily dependent on uninterrupted movement. That efficiency is now also its vulnerability.

The International Maritime Organization has already warned about the human cost. Thousands of seafarers have been trapped in the Gulf, while hundreds of vessels and thousands of crew members have faced prolonged uncertainty. The organisation has recorded dozens of attacks on international shipping during the conflict.

Meanwhile, the seabed itself is becoming a military frontier. Iranian forces have claimed the seizure of American autonomous underwater vehicles in the Strait. One earlier incident involving a Dive-LD was acknowledged by the US as the loss of an underwater drone, although Washington said it malfunctioned and did not contain sensitive systems. Iran has since claimed another seizure, while US Central Command has disputed that account.

The argument over who captured what is almost secondary. The important point is that unmanned machines are now operating beneath commercial shipping lanes, mapping seabeds, monitoring infrastructure and gathering intelligence. The ocean floor, once imagined as a silent wilderness, is becoming another digital battlefield.

This is where the future of conflict becomes particularly uncomfortable. A warship is visible. A missile launch creates headlines. A tank crossing a border is impossible to misunderstand. But a drone beneath the water, a damaged cable, a blocked pipeline, a mined shipping lane or a tanker ordered to turn around can produce strategic consequences without looking like war at all.

That ambiguity is precisely what makes maritime chokepoints so attractive to governments seeking leverage. And the answer cannot simply be more warships. The answer is redundancy. If one strait can hold the world's energy system hostage, build alternatives. If one pipeline can be attacked, create several. If one port becomes vulnerable, develop another. If one undersea cable carries too much of the world's communications, build additional routes. Resilience is not weakness; it is the opposite of dependence.

Washington and its regional partners are already discussing alternative infrastructure designed to reduce reliance on Hormuz. That may be expensive, imperfect and politically complicated. But the underlying lesson is unavoidable: a supply chain with no alternative route is an invitation to coercion. The twentieth century taught nations to protect borders. The twenty-first century must teach them to protect connections. Because tomorrow's frontline may not have trenches, soldiers or flags. It may simply be a narrow piece of blue water and a ship waiting for permission to cross it.

Manish Zodiac Predictions for October 2026 #Horoscope by Manish Kumar Arora

Aries ( 21 March – 19 April )  - The month ofOctober marks the end of a difficult phase, as you decide to move ahead, leaving unpleasant experiences behind. While this transition may seem difficult, take heart that you are on the right path. This month will bring you opportunities that allow your talents to shine. A new job prospect or project may come your way. You may have felt guilty in the past while accepting help from others. You also need to believe in yourself if you want to get somewhere. Your romance message for the month is to pay attention to the red flags in your relationship. If something seems “off” about a person you just met, then this sign is a caution for you to proceed carefully. Favourable Dates: Oct 3, 7, 12, 16, 21 & 24. Favourable Colors: Green & White

Taurus ( 20 April – 20 May ) – This month brings a shift in energy as you complete one cycle and start a new one. Fortune and luck are on your side. Your circumstances are changing for good and the cosmos smile and bless you with all the goodies you have felt the lack of in the past. Your message of manifestation is to stay optimistic and have faith. Even if you are finding it hard to settle in with the changes in your environment, give yourself some time, as the near future has many more blessings in store for you. Your romance message of the month is strongly connected to your friends. Love seeks you through others. You may even meet that special someone through one of your friends. Favourable Dates: Oct 1, 6, 10, 15, 19 & 24. Favourable Colors: Green  & Red

Gemini ( 21 May – 20 June ) - You have some brilliant ideas that carry great potential and need execution. However, watch who you share your deep, intimate secrets with, as not everyone will have your best interests in mind. It’s good to focus on your goals, but don’t ignore your other priorities at the moment. You will receive the help you are seeking in the nick of time. Take note of any and all activities that are unimportant at this time and are distracting you from the task at hand. Let go of habits, people, and things that are keeping you away from utilizing your time effectively. In romance, friends will play an important role in supporting you this month. Favourable Dates: Oct 2, 6, 12, 15, 23 & 28. Favourable Colors : Green & Red

Cancer( 21 June – 22 July ) - Time to choose a new direction. You may be lacking motivation in general and asking for excitement in your life. This month  brings you a fresh wave of ideas and opportunities. Say “goodbye” to the old and “hello” to the new. Too much time spent in contemplation is time lost, so be willing to act. Your finances look good and there may be a sudden windfall, bringing in abundance. Pay attention to the new paths that are opening for you and let your intuition guide you. In romance, you could meet “the one” this month – the person you just met and connect so deeply with could be the love of a lifetime. Existing relationships improve. Favourable Dates: Oct 1, 10, 14, 19, 22& 29. Favourable Colors: Purple & Yellow

Leo  ( 23 July – 22 August ) -      This is a month of learning and research. You will spend much time in your own company and may also embark on an inner journey, looking for more meaning and wisdom. You may be sailing through emotional ups and downs, which can blur your ability to think clearly. Your thoughts and emotions rapidly attract your desires, which also means you will attract that which you fear or don’t wish for. You are also guided to pay special attention to all forms of communication, which may unintentionally lead to misunderstandings. Your romance message is to learn from your mistakes and forgive, releasing old hurt and healing from any past wounds. Favourable Dates: Oct 2, 4, 11, 13, 20, 22 & 29. Favourable Colors: Purple & Red

Virgo( 23 August – 22 September ) - You will gain much disapproval or opposition. What will keep you going is your sheer will power and persistence. Muster your inner strength and deal with conflicts firmly. If you are thinking of starting something new, this is an excellent month. Your message of manifestation is to stop doubting your abilities. You are ready and you have all the ingredients to concoct the recipe of success. All you need is some expert advice or a mentor, who can help you broaden your perspective and thereby, help you gain more information about a project in hand. Your romance message of the month is to know that you are lovable and that you deserve love. Favourable Dates: Oct 2, 3, 11, 12, 20, 21 & 29. Favourable Colors : White & Red

Libra  ( 23 September – 22 October ) - This month brings you security and comfort. You may be too comfortable and in need of a stimulating change, which can help you learn and grow. Explore your options and push yourself out of the comfort zone. It is time to sink your teeth into different ventures and experiences. Forgiveness is also your key message this month. This refers to both forgiving others and yourself. A situation from your past could be holding you back from moving forward. Once you decide to release any old hurt, the doors of manifestation will miraculously open for you.Some of you may have had a recent fall out, which may have bruised your ego and self-esteem. Favourable Dates :Oct 2, 8, 11, 26, 20, 26 & 29. Favourable Colors: White & Yellow

Scorpio( 23 October – 21 November ) - There is much potential that lies ahead of you and now is the best time to make plans for the future and take active steps towards your dreams. For some of you, travel will bring good news and help you expand your horizon. Your message of manifestation is to simply make a wish and watch it come true. Your romance message of the month suggests that soon you will be meeting “The One” or, if you have recently started dating, your partner could become the romantic lover of a lifetime. In existing relationships, it is important to remember why you and your partner came together and rekindle the missing passion. Favourable Dates: Oct 3, 8, 15, 19, 20, 26 & 29. Favourable Colors : White & Yellow

Sagittarius ( 22 November -21 December ) - Your ability to manifest is enhanced in October, so to speak, and therefore you also need to be careful not to harbor any negative or fear based thoughts. Your romance message says that you may be meeting someone special this month. Love is in the air and you will enjoy domestic bliss and passion in. Love is the fuel that will keep you going. Pay attention to the people who come into your life, as a chance meeting is not just a coincidence. .You need to adopt a positive outlook and ask the Universe to grant you what you want, and then remaining in that stream of positive vibration. That will help speed up the outcome. Favourable Dates : Oct 2, 4, 11, 13, 20, 22 & 29. Favourable Colors : White & Purple

Capricorn ( 22 December – 19 January ) - There will be times this month when you will feel like giving up or settling for something small. You may have waited long to reap the fruits of your labour and may find yourself on the verge of quitting. Your message of manifestation is to increase your standards this month and be patient. Don’t compromise. You deserve better and a promising outcome is on its way. You are much closer to your desired results than you think, even though you can’t seem to feel any changes now. Your health shows improvement as you learn to take good care of your inner and outer self. Aim for peaceful resolution and avoid stress. Favourable Dates : Oct 6, 7, 15, 16, 24 & 25. Favourable Colors : Yellow & Green

Aquarius ( 20January – 18 February ) - Things are moving forward, but all in divine timing of course and not necessarily on your schedule. This month try not to force things into being by making rash decisions. There is something from your past that is blocking your experiences in the present. Identify this block and release it, as it is contributing to stress and unpleasant outcome in your current love life. Forgive yourself and others. Be more willing to share your feelings with friends if you are looking for a fresh perspective and advice. Some of you will benefit from spending time with friends you have ignored for a while. Trust yourself, and not assume that people are judging you. Favourable Dates :Oct 1, 5, 10, 14, 19, 23 & 29. Favourable Colors : Red & Purple

Pisces ( 19 February – 20 March ) - You have a renewed or totally new sense of confidence at your disposal right now.  It’s actually a chance to harness the super positive aspects of the human ego and enjoy them. Your experiences are in place for you to learn from and then to fire out to the world.Trust may be an issue at the moment, who to trust and how to trust yourself. Things are never going to be perfect if you deem perfection as an unattainable thing. Consider that perhaps everything is always perfect in the moment, and that this moment is all that’s truly real.You are on the brink of really beautiful and big horizons that will require your full attention and grace. Favourable Dates : Oct 2, 9, 11, 18, 20, 27 & 29. Favourable Colors : Red & Blue

Me My Mind & I #22: Obituary #Cartoon by Patrick McWade

 

A different way to check internal and external ...thoughts!
'Me My Mind & I' is a cartoon series by Patrick McWade.
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Ian Glim #017 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

 

A bewildered soul navigating global complexities armed
only with earnestness and a sharp, sarcastic wit.

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The vote is not a software update by Avani Devi

There is something profoundly dangerous about a democracy becoming comfortable with the idea that millions of citizens can disappear from its electoral rolls and that the explanation will arrive later, preferably in a press release.

India now finds itself in precisely that uncomfortable territory. The Election Commission has ordered a review of the software used in voter-roll revisions after serious questions were raised over the exclusion of millions of voters. Opposition parties have alleged that the process could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Commission rejects the suggestion that its actions were unlawful or politically manipulated, and says a committee including an independent technology expert will examine the system.

That distinction matters. Allegations are not proof. But neither are allegations something a democracy can simply sweep beneath the bureaucratic carpet. Because a voter is not a data entry. A name on an electoral roll is a political identity, a constitutional right and, ultimately, a piece of sovereignty. Remove that name and the citizen does not merely encounter a technical inconvenience. On election day, that citizen may discover that democracy has become a locked door.

The scale makes the controversy even harder to dismiss. India's Special Intensive Revision has already involved enormous changes to electoral rolls across states and territories, while millions of voters have faced notices or deletions over discrepancies in their records. Recent reporting has also documented objections from election commissioners themselves over aspects of the revision process.

This is where Modi's India needs something more substantial than political reassurance. Democracy does not survive because governments repeatedly announce that everything is legal. It survives because citizens can see how power is exercised, challenge decisions and obtain meaningful answers when something goes wrong.

And there is the uncomfortable elephant in the polling station: who controls the machinery that decides who gets to vote? If an electoral system becomes increasingly centralised, technologically opaque and difficult for ordinary citizens to challenge, the danger is not necessarily that someone has already stolen an election. The danger is that the public begins to lose confidence that elections can be independently administered at all.

That is how democratic erosion works. Rarely with tanks in the streets. More often with databases, procedural changes, administrative discretion, exhausted citizens and a thousand little explanations about why nothing unusual has happened.

Modi does not need to announce an authoritarian India from a balcony. Authoritarianism, when it comes, can be considerably more bureaucratic. It can arrive as a form that was not received, a name that disappeared, a notice that never reached its recipient or a computer system nobody outside the institution can properly examine.

The Election Commission therefore has a responsibility considerably larger than defending its reputation. It must make the entire process independently auditable, transparent and understandable. Every disputed deletion must have a traceable explanation. Every citizen must have a practical route to challenge it.

Because elections are not the property of governments, parties or election commissions. They belong to the voters. And the moment citizens have to prove that they deserve to remain visible to their own democracy, democracy has already started looking in the wrong direction.