All posts tagged: election

Bulgaria’s pro-Russian former president set for landslide election win, exit polls show

Bulgaria’s pro-Russian former president set for landslide election win, exit polls show

Published by Sam Flores

RADEV MAY HAVE TO COMPROMISE In his campaign, Radev drew comparisons with Hungary’s pro-Kremlin former Prime Minister Viktor Orban when he talked about improving relations with Moscow and resuming the free flow of Russian oil and gas into Europe. He also criticised the EU for relying too heavily on renewable energy. It is not clear how much his views will impact the foreign policy of Bulgaria, a NATO member on the EU’s southeastern flank which joined the euro zone in January — a move Radev has criticised.  He said he would be willing to work on judicial reform with the pro-European reformist We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) coalition, which came third in the Alpha Research exit polls with 11.3 per cent. A minority government was also an option in the 240-seat parliament, Radev said. “Bulgaria will make efforts to continue its European path,” he said. “But a strong Bulgaria and strong Europe … needs pragmatism because Europe has fallen victim to its own ambition to be a moral leader in a world without rules.” …

Russia-aligned Rumen Radev set to win Bulgarian election – POLITICO

Russia-aligned Rumen Radev set to win Bulgarian election – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

In his remarks after voting on Sunday morning, Radev said the election was an opportunity to “take back” the country from oligarchs, but also called for relations of “mutual respect” with Moscow, based on Russia’s role in liberating Bulgaria from the Ottoman empire in 1878.   While these positions have helped him build up a base of support at home, he has avoided direct confrontation with the West and has generally fallen in step with the European mainstream when attending European Council meetings in Brussels. European funds are vital to the EU’s poorest member country and Bulgarian leaders have traditionally avoided any provocative antics in Brussels in the style of outgoing Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán. In the days before the election, the former MiG-29 pilot pushed back against the accusations that he was pro-Russian. “I don’t see what kind of pro-Russian position I have. I have completely pro-Bulgarian positions, I have pro-European positions,” he said. He refuses to go to into coalition with Bulgaria’s two most prominent politicians — former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and …

‘They are stealing the election’: How Armenia became the next Russia-EU battlefield

‘They are stealing the election’: How Armenia became the next Russia-EU battlefield

Published by Sam Flores

The European Union breathed a sigh of relief last week when Hungary voted out Prime Minister Viktor Orban in favour of Peter Magyar.  Like Moldova’s election last year, the vote was seen as an ideological battleground between the Kremlin and Brussels.  Orban, a long-standing ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, will be replaced by Magyar, who said he wants to repair ties with the EU. “Hungary has chosen Europe,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after the results were announced. Read moreOrban ousted: What Magyar’s victory means for Hungary and the EU Now the bloc’s attention is shifting further east towards another former Soviet Union country seen to be making a similar choice: Armenia.   But this could have long-lasting consequences for the Armenian people, according to some observers.  A step towards Europe  The June 7 parliamentary elections in Armenia matter for Europe, as public opinion in the country – long aligned with Russia – is now turning toward Brussels. While campaigning officially begins 30 days before the election, candidates have already hit the trail.  …

GOP House majority shrinks as Democrat wins New Jersey special election

GOP House majority shrinks as Democrat wins New Jersey special election

Published by Sam Flores

This story was originally published by The 19th. This story was originally reported by Marissa Martinez of The 19th. Meet Marissa and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy.   Democrat Analilia Mejia has won the special election for a safely blue U.S. House seat in New Jersey, Decision Desk HQ projects, further narrowing Republicans’ already razor-thin edge in the chamber and adding another progressive voice to the Democratic caucus. Mejia defeated Republican Joe Hathaway and will complete the congressional term of fellow Democrat Mikie Sherrill, who was elected governor in November. She emerged from a crowded field of nearly a dozen candidates to clinch a narrow victory in the February primary, running just ahead of former Rep. Tom Malinowski. Mejia’s contest against her Republican opponent had grown contentious in the past month, with Hathaway casting her as a “radical socialist” who is too left for their district and criticizing her for calling Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide. She entered the final days of her campaign with nearly double Hathaway’s fundraising …

French right divided over primary vote one year from presidential election

French right divided over primary vote one year from presidential election

Published by Sam Flores

With the French presidential election just a year away, most parties are conducting internal polls to decide on their candidate. Les Républicains, led by Bruno Retailleau, are meeting this weekend to decide whether to hold a primary, amid criticism, particularly from Laurent Wauquiez, over reluctance to organise a vote. Andrew Smith, Historian of modern France at Queen Mary University of London, spoke to France 24 to to review the political landscape one year before this key vote. Keywords for this article Source link

Republicans rush to close the gap in the final stretch of Virginia’s redistricting election

Republicans rush to close the gap in the final stretch of Virginia’s redistricting election

Published by Sam Flores

Even as they’ve been massively outspent in a Democratic-leaning state, Republicans say they still have a fighting chance to defeat a redistricting referendum in Virginia next week that could help tip the balance of power in the House in this fall’s midterm elections. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. Republicans have been clear-eyed about the obstacles they face in urging voters to reject a redrawn congressional map that would pave the way for Democrats to pick up as many as four seats. They are coming off an election just five months ago in which Democrats swept every statewide office on the ballot and expanded their legislative majority. But while Democrats hold a 3-1 ad spending advantage heading into Tuesday’s special election, that edge has shrunk significantly in recent weeks. And the latest public polling has shown support for the new map with a single-digit lead — much narrower than Democrats’ recent victories in the state. Republicans have also called on House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., former …

Orbán breaks silence after Hungarian election defeat – POLITICO

Orbán breaks silence after Hungarian election defeat – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Orbán, who has led Hungary for 16 years straight, took a somber tone throughout the interview, describing the aftermath of the election in personal terms. “I felt pain and emptiness,” he said, adding that he has been throwing himself into his work as “occupational therapy” to cope with the shock. “Even I thought we were going to win,” he admitted. Magyar has already begun signaling a break with Orbán’s nationalist-populist rule, pledging to relocate the prime minister’s office from Budapest’s Carmelite Palace. Orbán will also skip next week’s informal European Council meeting in Cyprus, according to an EU official who spoke to POLITICO, emphasizing how quickly his long tenure is drawing to a close. Orbán didn’t duck responsibility for the defeat in his interview. “It’s me. I am the president of the party,” he said, adding that he took the outcome “100 percent on myself.” He acknowledged Fidesz had failed to connect with the electorate: “I have to admit that the opponent’s message was stronger,” he said, referring to Magyar’s promise of change centered on …

California Supreme Court Disbars Former Trump Attorney For Aiding Challenge Of 2020 Election Results

California Supreme Court Disbars Former Trump Attorney For Aiding Challenge Of 2020 Election Results

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Brad Jones via The Epoch Times, The California Supreme Court decided to disbar former Trump attorney John Eastman over his aiding the president in challenging the 2020 presidential election results. The court has not yet handed down an opinion to explain the April 15 decision, which affirmed the California Bar court’s recommendation for disbarment for alleged attorney ethics violations. Eastman, a former Chapman University law professor, gained national attention for advising President Donald Trump on constitutional challenges to election procedures in several battleground states after the president alleged widespread election fraud. The California decision is not the end of the line for Eastman. He can still practice law in the U.S. Supreme Court and possibly in another state. “Federal courts are supposed to let me keep practicing, and the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed me to continue practicing, even while I’ve been placed on inactive status [in] California,” he said. Eastman told The Epoch Times the state court’s decision is “outrageous” and “Orwellian.” “What’s happening here to our institutions that have been captured …

Limited scrutiny of party claims in early Welsh election coverage – new analysis

Limited scrutiny of party claims in early Welsh election coverage – new analysis

Published by Sam Flores

With the Senedd (Welsh parliament) election campaign now under way, voters in Wales are beginning to see more political coverage across television, online and social media. Broadcasters have reported on manifesto launches and party messaging. But how far is this coverage helping voters understand what the parties are actually proposing? And how much of it is being properly scrutinised? After the first official week of the campaign, our new analysis suggests that while broadcasters are reporting party activity, they are offering limited scrutiny of the pledges and promises being made. That matters because news media play a central role in holding politicians to account and helping voters judge the credibility of competing claims. We analysed all election news items across major broadcasters’ TV, online and social media output between April 8 and 14. This included Welsh coverage from the BBC and ITV, alongside their UK-wide output, as well as Channel 4 and Sky News. Broadcasters have also produced special election programming in English and Welsh, from the public asking politicians questions in live TV debates, …