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.
最高检:2022年前11个月检察环节共追缴农民工欠薪约4.9亿元******
春节临近,农民工工资支付逐渐进入高峰期,欠薪问题也易进入高发多发期。刚刚召开的国务院根治拖欠农民工工资工作领导小组全体会议再次强调,依法严厉惩处恶意欠薪行为,确保农民工及时足额拿到工资,加大农民工就业帮扶,对失业农民工、困难农民工及时予以失业补助、困难救助,兜牢基本民生底线。最高人民检察院第一检察厅负责人就2022年检察机关办理拒不支付劳动报酬犯罪案件的相关情况接受了记者的采访。
据介绍,在依法打击恶意欠薪过程中,检察机关能动履职,通过刑事检察从严惩处、民事检察支持起诉、行政检察督促履职、公益诉讼检察建议,为农民工工资筑起“四大检察”保护屏障。一方面,以刑事检察依法惩处恶意欠薪犯罪为核心,有效发挥刑罚的惩治和震慑作用,精准打击“以转移财产、逃匿等方法逃避支付劳动者报酬”等恶意欠薪行为。2022年1至11月,检察机关对情节恶劣、后果严重,经刑事立案追缴仍不履行支付义务的犯罪嫌疑人依法提起公诉897件999人。2022年1至11月,检察机关共监督公安机关立案拒不支付劳动报酬犯罪案件126件143人。
另一方面,刑事、民事、行政、公益诉讼四大检察融合执法,多措并举、协同发力,全力做好助力讨薪的追赃挽损工作,保障拖欠农民工工资报酬优先、及时、足额支付,让劳动者更“安薪”。2022年1至11月,检察环节依托刑事打击共追缴欠薪约4.9亿元。此外,通过民事支持起诉、行政检察监督专项活动等监督履职,帮助劳动者拿回更多“票子”,最大限度解决农民工最关心的利益问题。如,湖北兰某某拒不支付劳动报酬案,检察机关恪守客观公正立场,依法准确认定兰某某虽客观上未能在指定时间、地点接受调查,但其并未失联,主观上没有逃匿的故意,其行为不构成拒不支付劳动报酬犯罪。但为实质性解决拖欠农民工薪资问题,检察机关刑民联动、协同作战,通过民事支持起诉的方式,促成双方达成调解,最终足额支付了全部农民工工资,化解了社会矛盾,让被欠薪者真正不再“忧薪”。
拒不支付劳动报酬案件的涉案主体通常是民营企业负责人,检察机关承担着维护农民工合法权益和护航民营企业健康发展的双重职责。检察机关把依法保护劳动者合法权益与促进民营企业守法经营有机结合,在依法惩治恶意欠薪犯罪,帮助农民工追欠挽损的同时,注重改进办案方式方法,推动涉案企业合规整改,让企业发展更健康。近年来,受国际国内经济形势及疫情等多重因素叠加影响,根治欠薪工作较往年更为复杂、更为严峻,一些企业因自身经营遇到严重困难而导致欠薪情况时有发生。检察机关在办案中注意把握企业因资金周转困难拖欠劳动报酬与恶意欠薪的界限,坚持宽严相济为指导,依法贯彻落实少捕慎诉慎押刑事司法政策,通过适用非羁押强制措施、开展羁押必要性审查、充分适用认罪认罚从宽制度等举措,对自愿认罪悔罪、尽力补救支付劳动报酬的犯罪嫌疑人、被告人依法作出不捕不诉决定,及时变更羁押强制措施;对提起公诉的被告人依法提出轻缓刑的量刑建议,最大程度地减少因涉罪对企业正常生产经营的影响,助力企业纾困发展。如,在江苏潘某某拒不支付劳动报酬案中,检察机关对恶意欠薪后潜逃外地且归案后拒不认罪悔改的潘某某依法批准逮捕,同时动态审查把握潘某某的社会危险性变化等条件,在其积极认罪认罚、全部清偿拖欠工人工资并取得谅解后,依法及时向有关机关提出变更羁押强制措施的建议,潘某某被变更为取保候审,为工人持续就业提供了稳定工作环境。
2022年1至11月,全国检察机关共不批准逮捕拒不支付劳动报酬犯罪案件706件760人,不捕率为66.09%,较去年同期上升9.61个百分点,较其他刑事犯罪案件平均不捕率高23.20个百分点;共决定不起诉1202件1444人,不起诉率59.11%,同比上升11.75个百分点,较平均不起诉率高34.22个百分点。
作为根治拖欠农民工工资工作领导小组成员单位,检察机关立足自身职能,及时将办案中发现的行政监管不到位、管理漏洞等问题以制发检察建议等方式反馈给行政执法机关和行业主管部门以及相关涉案企业。如安徽省检察机关聚焦容易出现欠薪问题的房地产开发、教育培训以及网约车、外卖送餐、快递等新业态新领域,主动走访、对接人社部门和相关行业主管部门,共同建立涉农民工讨薪14项工作机制。浙江舟山市检察机关联合县劳动局组织对17家欠薪问题相对严重的用工单位集体约谈并制发《刑事合规风险告知书》,经督促提醒共有16家总包建设单位累计向21180名农民工发放工资款4.5亿余元。此次发布的5件典型案例中,有3件制发了检察建议,通过诉源治理推动建立根治欠薪长效机制,形成农民工合法权益保护大格局。
(总台央视记者 程琴)
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)