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The Daily Tar Heel
On The Wire

European nations interested in American elections

While elections are exceedingly important to Americans, three European journalists who attended a UNC Young Democrats election-results party, said many European nations also have an interest in American politics.

Matija Babic, a reporter of Croatia, said that many Europeans view American politicians as arrogant, but find Democratic views more appealing. Most Europeans are pro-Obama, he said.

“Almost everyone from Croatia would be Democrats if they were to move here” Babic
said.

Hungarian journalist Viktor Janzso said that Europeans don’t understand American politics in depth, as it is quite a different system.

“With Obama, we feel that the new foreign policy is not as assertive as Bush’s was”
Janzso said.

It is no longer true that there is one American policy regardless of who is in
power – Republicans and Democrats have clear distinctions in their foreign policy goals, he said.

Robert Popovski, a Macedonian reporter, agreed with his colleague saying American politics tend to be complicated.

Popovski said national elections combined with local elections is a complex system.

Both reporters said there were marked differences in elections in the U.S. and European nations.

Babic said Croatia focuses more on national politics, but it’s a small country so that
makes sense. He also said that the youth there is not as interested in politics as they seem
to be here.

“American politics is very much like show business” Babic said. “An ex-actor such as
Ronald Reagan, or Arnold Schwarzenegger, couldn’t win there.”

Popovski said in some European countries, elections are so serious that they ban discussion of politics in
public places within 24 to 36 hours before the elections.

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