Monday, 6 October 2025, 2:15 – 3:15 pm
Montehermoso Palace, Room Ortuño
Feeling left behind by their governments, citizens across the world have been turning to illiberal leaders who claim to have easy solutions to democracies’ shortcomings. Often, however, once in power, these leaders not only fail to deliver on the governance side but also chip away at the guardrails of political accountability and the rule of law for their own personal gain. Such acts of executive overreach target the holders of horizontal (judiciaries, civil service, supreme audit institutions, human rights agencies), vertical (election authorities, political parties), and diagonal (media, civil society) accountability. These targeted actors then face a two-pronged challenge: how to act within their own legal bounds to counteract an executive exceeding its own, and how to protect or rebuild independent institutions that people can trust. This discussion will feature experts on rule of law, judicial independence, electoral integrity, civic space, and civil society organizing.
Please join us for an interactive conversation on the topic, including questions such as:
1. What are the global trends on executive overreach and its impact on democracy and the rule of law?
2. What can be done from the bar and from the bench to resist executive overreach and regain the people’s trust?
3. What adjustments can be made in the electoral process to increase transparency and encourage greater participation and higher trust in outcomes?
4. What are effective strategies help to defend, open, and expand civic space, either by civil society actors or other accountability institutions?
