Video: What does our democracy need?
In April 2026, Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer sat down with Koert Debeuf to discuss the state of democracy. The engaging conversation took place at Pilar, just ahead of a lively student debate focused on the future of democracy, where difficult questions were not avoided.
What is absolute democracy? Who are the true democrats in society? How should traditional parties respond to the genuine resentment felt by many supporters of populist politicians? And how likely is the emergence of new dictatorships in Europe?
Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer may not have ready-made answers to all these questions, but he certainly does not shy away from them. In his trademark eloquent style, he points to the strange paradox that defines politics in 2026: both the left and the right are convinced that democracy is under threat, yet they mean entirely different things by it. “It feels like a conversation between firefighters and arsonists who agree on only one thing: that the house is on fire,” he remarks pointedly.
Click on the video below to find out what Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer believes is really happening — and what we might be able to do to preserve democracy.
