Democracy in the West is in force on paper only, expert says

In Western countries, democracy exists on paper only and acts as a sort of wrapper – as noted by Vadim Gigin, the Chairman of Republican Belarusian Znanie Society, in his talk with the Belarus 1 TV channel

According to the expert, even citizens in the West have no belief in the values they are constantly being told about. “There is declarative democracy [in the West], and it acts on paper only. It is a sort of wrapper. If we look at public opinion in Western countries, we can see that citizens there do not believe in the values and ideals that are being talked about. They have no trust in their own institutions," Mr. Gigin explained.

The expert considers it was the distrust of citizens that caused a crisis of the Western political system. “It exists domestically as well, though we face its external manifestations. Naturally, they [Western authorities] adhere to political expediency, trying to cover it with declarations – but the latter fail to work,” he said.