USA - George Soros has warned voters have turned away from mainstream political parties as “many people felt that the elites have stolen their democracy”, in an alarming forecast for the European Union in 2017. The 86-year-old Hungarian-American said Brussels is “on the verge of breakdown” and could even fall under the influence of Vladimir Putin. Writing in a blog, the highly influential businessman warned: “Open societies are in crisis, and various forms of closed societies – from fascist dictatorships to mafia states – are on the rise. How could this happen? The only explanation I can find is that elected leaders failed to meet voters’ legitimate expectations and aspirations and that this failure led electorates to become disenchanted with the prevailing versions of democracy and capitalism. Quite simply, many people felt that the elites had stolen their democracy.”