中新网评:美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后,美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕,众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录,将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图:美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀摄
由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素,众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中,美国民主党议员继续抱团,多轮投票中,一票不投麦卡锡,共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折,除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外,与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面,共和党党内反对者认为,麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱,无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府,另一方面,因为共和党的多数优势微弱,党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大,有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外,党内反对者也认为,自己的选票没有换取更多利益,希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步,比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物,众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任,选举几乎没有悬念。然而,麦卡锡此次为当选,不得不做出多个关键让步,其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制,使得众议长的权力被削弱,难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称,麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步,这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下,党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上,美国两党相互拆台,陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内,也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系,相互对抗,选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举,“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈,长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力,其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病,美国所谓的“民主”形象,让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举,变成了政客们利益置换的游戏,进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能,不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
北京高院发布第三届司法改革“微创新”案例******
中新网北京1月11日电 (陈杭刘小源)为进一步鼓励基层创新,推进固化定型改革成果,推动形成“一马当先”带动“万马奔腾”的改革局面,2022年8月,北京高院正式启动司法改革“微创新”优秀案例评选活动。经过推荐申报、集中展示以及初评、复评、候选案例公示等环节,产生司法改革“微创新”最佳示范案例和优秀案例共21个。
11日,北京高院召开新闻发布会,通报21个北京法院2022年度司法改革“微创新”案例。
北京高院副院长孙玲玲介绍,此次评选出的案例具有首都特色、体现基层智慧、破解改革难题,是北京法院司法改革创新工作的重要展示窗口。
2022年,北京法院在健全审判权运行和制约监督工作机制方面做了大量工作,北京市高院、二中院、三中院、石景山、门头沟等5家法院的入选案例,充分体现了健全审判权运行和制约监督机制,不断增强人民群众对司法公正的获得感。北京高院制定《关于随机分案的实施细则》,构建“线上+线下”互补管理模式与五项保障机制,全市法院随机分案占比同比提高30个百分点。二中院构建“一轴两极三线”审判权运行监督流程全闭环、权责全要素、人员全覆盖的司法责任制落实体系,过去一年积案清理同比提高15.3%,一审案件被定错改发数量同比下降38.1%。
部分“微创新”案例充分体现北京法院加强诉源治理和矛盾纠纷多元化解工作。北京高院构建12368“一号响应”诉源治理机制,深度融入北京市接诉即办改革,精准对接各类诉源治理主体在办理12345群众诉求和开展矛盾纠纷预防调处化解过中提出的司法需求,全市法院通过12368热线主渠道响应诉源治理类司法需求2701个,满意度达100%;健全一站式多元解纷机制,将司法确认、小额诉讼、扩大独任制适用等改革任务融入“多元调解+速裁”,60%以上的一审民商事案件在诉讼前端得到解决。西城法院建立“1+15”街道联络员与法院专门团队对接机制,确认调解协议案件有效率达100%。
同时,强化服务保障和司法为民职能,满足人民群众对创新发展和利民便民的司法新需求。一中院构建“1+2+3”多元破产挽救体系,挽救中小微企业40家,引入投资近50亿元,妥善安置职工1200余人。四中院加强“北京国际商事法庭”建设,建立与国际接轨的多元解纷示范机制,北京国际商事法庭运行以来,为60多个国家和地区的3000余位中外当事人化解超过160亿元的商事纠纷。丰台法院探索建立“一窗通办”服务窗口,机制启用以来,累计接待群众10022人次,为群众办理三项以上事务851人次、两项以上事务3594人次,平均办理时长5分钟。通州法院将诉讼服务和速裁工作下沉人民法庭,为辖区群众提供家门口的一站式诉讼服务。加强对特殊群体的保护,创建涉未成年人民事社会调查观护工作模式被引入相关国家标准。朝阳法院加强对老年人群体的司法保护,打造审理涉老年人权益保障案件的专门法庭。
推进智慧法院和互联网司法建设方面,北京法院不断回应网络数字时代人民群众的司法新需求。北京高院制定《北京法院电子卷宗同步生成操作规程》《北京法院电子诉讼档案管理规范(试行)》,统一电子卷宗生成标准和工作要求,全市法院电子上诉移转自然时长较纸质模式节省超过20%。互联网法院开发自动抓取录入案款发还信息功能,实现一键智能发还案款,每笔案款发还从三分钟缩短到20秒,案款收发全年平均时长仅3.11天。
孙玲玲表示,今后,北京法院将继续坚持问题导向、目标导向、效果导向,以切口小、见效大的“微创新”,持续推动各项司法改革任务落地见效,努力让人民群众在每一个司法案件中感受到公平正义。
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)