Elections
Macron picks minister to lead Paris mayor battle after sexting scandal
French President Emmanuel Macron picked his widely respected health minister on Sunday (16 February) to reinvigorate a campaign to win over Paris City Hall that fell apart when his previous candidate pulled out over a sexting scandal.
Merkel succession contender calls her out over slow EU revamp
A leading contender to succeed German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday (16 February) criticised her for taking too long to respond to a French push to strengthen the EU after Brexit.
Pull yourselves together for EU’s sake, German Greens urge CDU
Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), embroiled in a leadership crisis, must unite and keep their ruling coalition stable as Germany takes on the rotating European Union presidency this year, Greens leader Annalena Baerbock said on Saturday (15 February).
The Brief – A divided isle
There’s never a good time to have a political crisis but the one when your country is about to work out a complex new border arrangement with its closest neighbour must be among the worst.
Hungary plans citizen survey against court compensations for Roma
Hungary’s right-wing government plans next month to survey its citizens to determine whether the courts should stop financially compensating Roma for discrimination and prisoners for mistreatment. Critics say the government survey will pave the way for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán...
Ireland’s political earthquake
Sinn Féin made only one mistake: had it run multiple candidates in its strongest constituencies, it could have become the largest party in the Irish parliament by a long lead, writes Dick Roche.
Leftist Podemos chief to join talks with Catalan separatists
Pablo Iglesias, the leader of the leftist Unidas Podemos party who is also Spain's Minister for Social Rights, will take part in a “Mesa de Diálogo” (dialogue table) with Catalan separatist leaders, alongside members of the socialist party (PSOE), EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.
Long a political pariah, Sinn Fein relishes its breakthrough
When Aengus O Snodaigh first sought election to Ireland's parliament in 1987, he and his Sinn Fein colleagues were banned from speaking on Irish TV and radio for their connection to IRA militants and were a decade away from their first seat.
Irish nationalists Sinn Fein demand place in government after strong election showing
Irish nationalists Sinn Fein demanded on Sunday (9 February) to be part of the next Irish government after early results indicated the left-wing party secured the most votes in an election that leader Mary Lou McDonald described as a ballot box "revolution".
Thuringia reeling from post-electoral hangover after far-right alliance fiasco
Thuringia's freshly-elected Minister-President, Thomas Kemmerich of the liberal FDP party, stepped down on Saturday (8 February) after his alliance with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) triggered nation-wide outrage.
Thuringia election debacle causes turmoil in the European Parliament
After 25 hours in office, the now-former Minister-President of Thuringia, liberal candidate Thomas Kemmerich (FDP) was forced to resign as his party wanted to shake-off the "stigma" linked to being supported by far-right party AfD. The political crisis has reached Brussels, causing quite the uproar among Renew MEPs. EURACTIV France reports.
BREAKING: Thuringia’s newly elected Minister President Kemmerich steps down
Only 25 hours after his election, the new Thuringian Minister-President Thomas Kemmerich (FDP) has announced his resignation. He is stepping down to "remove the stigma of the AfD's support from the Minster-President's office".
French MEPs mobilise for upcoming French municipal elections
French MEPs are mobilising for the French municipal elections and have shown open support for some candidates. Conservative MEP Agnès Evren is even the top candidate of Les Républicains (LR) for the elections in the 15th Paris arrondissement. EURACTIV France reports.
Brexit, homelessness dominate in Irish election
Ireland goes to the polls on Saturday (8 February), with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar touting his successful handling of Brexit, but facing pressure over housing and healthcare.
Poland sets presidential election for 10 May
Poland will hold the first round of its presidential election on 10 May, the speaker of parliament announced on Wednesday (5 February), with incumbent President Andrzej Duda tipped as the favourite.
Romanian lawmakers topple centrist cabinet, weeks of political jostling ahead
Romanian lawmakers toppled the three-month-old centrist minority government of Prime Minister Ludovic Orban on Wednesday (5 February), raising the prospect of an early parliamentary election which Orban's party says it is confident of winning.
Political earthquake in Thuringia as new President gets elected with far-right votes
Thomas Kemmerich, a liberal democrat from the FDP party, became Thuringia's new Minister-President on Wednesday (5 February), thanks to support from the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the far-right – a first in post-war Germany. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Nationalists establish clear lead in opinion poll ahead of Irish election
Irish nationalists Sinn Fein have surged to the top of an opinion poll five days ahead of an election in Ireland that looks set to be a major breakthrough for the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army.
Could SPÖ’s Burgenland win be beacon of ‘red hope’ for Austria’s social democrats?
In Burgenland's state elections, socialist Hans-Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) won the absolute majority, bringing a ray of hope to the Austrian socialist party which has suffered a multitude of defeats recently. One would think the party could learn something from this, but a party insider thinks this is unlikely. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Brexit redraws European Parliament battle lines
This Friday's (31 January) Brexit and the departure of Britain's MEPs will shake up the balance of power in the European Parliament and could complicate Brussels' reform agenda.
Slovenia’s PM resigns, early elections loom
Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Šarec stepped down on Monday (27 January) and suggested calling early elections, saying his minority five-party government was unable to pass important legislation through a parliament it did not control.
Emilia Romagna voters upset Salvini’s plan to trigger early elections
Italy's populist leader Matteo Salvini appeared to have failed in his bid to win a key regional election and topple the country's fragile coalition government, according to exit polls late Sunday (26 January).
Polish parliament approves judge ‘muzzle law’, Commission ‘very concerned’
Poland's parliament on Thursday (23 January) approved a controversial draft law aimed at disciplining judges who question government judicial reforms that the European Union says are out of step with the rule of law.