Donald Trump: Impeachments against heads of state – from Putin to Netanyahu

Analyse

Donald Trump was impeached. For paying hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels for a past affair. His indictment is to be read out on Tuesday (April 4, 2023). He wants to appear in court.

For a former US President to be impeached is historic. It has never happened before. The indictment could also thwart Trump’s plans to run again for president – and the democracy of the USA undergo a stress test.

But he is not alone in this. In other countries, impeachments by incumbent presidents are not common, but at least less historic. From Netanyahu to Berlusconi to Putin: One of these three cases is particularly reminiscent of Trump’s indictment.

Arrest warrant for war crimes: Putin

The case of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is highly topical. With the brutal war of aggression on the Ukraine and the Russian invasion of the former sister state, the War Crimes Tribunal opened a war crimes investigation as early as Spring 2022.

In theory, Putin could, and even should, be arrested on one of his next trips abroad, such as to South Africa.Bild: Pool Sputnik Kremlin / Gavriil Grigorov

In March, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin. He and a helper are accused of kidnapping children from the war zone in Ukraine. More charges could follow.

For the Russian head of state, this means that he could be arrested at any time while traveling abroad. Because every member state of the The Hague Criminal Court is obliged to do this – too Deutschland. How strictly this is implemented in all states is questionable.

Charged with corruption: Netanyahu

Also in Israel is a case with a lot of explosive force: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing corruption charges.

Related to this is the controversial judicial reform, against which People been mobilizing in Israel for weeks and which Netanyahu himself had to override in the end. Critics of the reform fear serious damage to democracy. There are even warnings against an autocratically run theocracy. So a form of government that is religiously legitimized.

There are many protests against Netanyahu’s judicial reform.Image: AP / Ohad Zwigenberg

However, the fact that Netanyahu now has to make concessions to his coalition partners in terms of judicial reform is not due to a change of heart on the part of the prime minister, but rather to his personal problem: the lawsuit.

Although Netanyahu has little to fear as president, under current law he faces impeachment proceedings. A reform of the judiciary would make such procedures considerably more difficult.

The controversial reform has now been put on hold – but Israel’s head of state wants to push through the reform anyway, protests or not.

Lawsuits, sex scandals and convictions: Berlusconi

Limelight, young beauties and extravagant parties: no, in this case we are not talking about Donald Trump, but about the Italian media entrepreneur, football club boss and former head of state Silvio Berlusconi.

Karima El Mahroug, known as Ruby, was at the center of Berlusconi’s Rubygate affair.Image: AP / Antonio Calanni

But at the latest when the keyword “sex scandals” comes up, it rings in connection with Donald Trump. Because none in the Story of the indicted heads of state, resembles Trump’s as much as Berlusconi’s. The Rubygate scandal in particular is reminiscent of that Relationship between Trump and porn actress Stormy Daniels.

Berlusconi has not yet gotten out of the trials surrounding his sex parties, but there was another acquittal recently. But there is a difference to the other accused politicians: The Italian has already been convicted. For example, because of fraud in connection with better treatment of his Mediaset group or economic crimes.

Berlusconi is resilient and got back on his feet after many a scandal. But then at some point it was over for him too: he had to accept a ban from office for several years. Now the 86-year-old is back in political business, but only as a junior partner in Giorgia Meloni’s government.