All posts tagged: mayors

At least 5 killed by gunman in Kyiv shooting

At least 5 killed by gunman in Kyiv shooting

Published by Sam Flores

A gunman opened fire on people in Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv on Saturday, killing five and wounding several others, Ukrainian authorities said. The gunman was killed by police, the authorities said. “Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko has just reported that the attacker in Kyiv who opened fire on civilians has been eliminated. All the circumstances are being established,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X. “At present, five people have been confirmed killed,” he said. “Ten people are currently hospitalized with injuries and trauma. All are receiving the necessary assistance.” Zelenskyy said the gunman had taken people hostage in the assault in the Holosiivskyi district of the Ukrainian capital. Four of the hostages were successfully rescued, he said. “We expect a swift investigation. Investigators of the National Police and the Security Service of Ukraine are working,” Zelenskyy added. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said municipal authorities had launched a “special operation” to apprehend the assailant, who he said entered a supermarket after the shooting. Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko identified the attacker as a 58-year-old native …

In L.A. mayor’s race, everyone is campaigning on change — even the incumbent

In L.A. mayor’s race, everyone is campaigning on change — even the incumbent

Published by Sam Flores

Mayor Karen Bass has had a lengthy political career, spending six years in the state Legislature, 12 years in Congress and the last three in the top elected office at Los Angeles City Hall. Now, facing the toughest reelection battle of her career, Bass is marketing herself in a way that might surprise some Angelenos: She’s running as a champion of change. And she’s not alone. City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who has represented a Hollywood Hills district since 2020, says her last-minute decision to enter the race was fueled by “a sense of urgency that things needed to change.” Three other major candidates, all political newcomers, argue that an outsider is needed to shake up the status quo. “We can no longer keep our city together with duct tape and slurry,” said Rae Huang, a leftist community organizer, at a recent candidate forum on housing and transportation. The race to embrace the mantle of change in the June 2 primary election comes at a moment of political peril for Bass, a veteran Democrat who has …

Italian art museum hit by cyberattack – POLITICO

Italian art museum hit by cyberattack – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The museum insisted no passwords or security maps were stolen and that the systems involved were closed-circuit and not accessible from outside, with “no information lost.” The transfer of items to the vaults, including Medici-era treasures, was unrelated to the cyberattack but due to ongoing renovations. The episode quickly turned political. Former Prime Minister and ex-Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi tore into Giorgia Meloni’s government, accusing Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli of failing to protect one of Italy’s most iconic cultural institutions in his home city. “Hackers attack the Uffizi and threaten our cultural heritage. What is Minister Giuli doing?” Renzi wrote on X on Friday. “Has he even noticed, or is he too busy playing the flute … or stirring up controversies?” he added, also questioning the role of Italy’s cybersecurity agency and vowing to demand answers. The attack comes just weeks after three paintings by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse were stolen from a museum on the outskirts of the northern region of Parma — a reminder that not even the greats of art are safe. …

How Viktor Orbán laid traps to stop his successor from running Hungary – POLITICO

How Viktor Orbán laid traps to stop his successor from running Hungary – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The constitutional court is a prime example of how Orbán can make life difficult for Magyar, as Fidesz has appointed all of its 15 justices, including a former Fidesz defense minister. The Curia, Hungary’s supreme court, is headed by András Varga, who was appointed by the Fidesz-controlled parliament. Any laws a Magyar government attempts to pass could fall foul of the top courts. “Because of the partiality of the Supreme Court or at least its president, and the constitutional court, this will be a very difficult battle for Tisza,” said Adrienn Laczó, a former judge who resigned in November 2024 in protest over the lack of judicial independence. Additionally, Orbán’s lawmakers in December strengthened the veto power of President Sulyok, who was appointed in 2024 for a five-year term. Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok (center) inspects a military honour guard during a flag-hoisting ceremony in front of the parliament in Budapest, on March 15, 2026. | Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images “Orbán has been worst-scenario planning in case he’s defeated,” said Kim Lane Scheppele, a constitutional …

Removing EU flags is ‘betrayal,’ French minister tells far-right mayors – POLITICO

Removing EU flags is ‘betrayal,’ French minister tells far-right mayors – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

He added: “There is no dissolution of national identity in European identity, any more than our local identities fade behind our national identity.” In Carcassonne in southern France, National Rally Mayor Christophe Barthès on Sunday filmed himself removing the EU flag from the balcony of the town hall and posted it on his X account. “Out with European flags at town hall! In with French flags,” he wrote. Bryan Masson, the newly elected mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, also in southern France, posted a photo of his office displaying a dozen French flags but no EU flag. And Carla Muti, mayor of Canohès, also posted a video of herself taking down an EU flag. Removing or replacing EU flags has become an established procedure among Euroskeptic leaders. When Poland’s right-wing Prime Minister Beata Szydło took office in 2015, she removed the EU flag from the backdrop of her government’s press room. Source link

Former French PM fortifies presidential bid with strong showing in municipal race – POLITICO

Former French PM fortifies presidential bid with strong showing in municipal race – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Philippe looks primed to come out the other end of this make-or-break moment stronger. Building momentum now could help separate Philippe from the rest of a very crowded field of candidates in the race for the Elysée, though there’s still more than a year to go. “Everything sort of starts today,” Nathalie Loiseau, a MEP from Philippe’s Horizons party and one of its heavyweights, told POLITICO. “There are reasons to hope.” Philippe, who was the first of the center-right contenders to declare his presidential bid, is already rolling out campaign events, with April 12 bookmarked for a large-scale rally in Paris, according to two party officials — though Loiseau declined to confirm the event. “Le Havre’s people know that there is reason for hope when all people of good will come together … and reject the extremes and their simplistic solutions,” Philippe said in his victory speech Sunday from Le Havre. The politician’s strong performance in the first round and his comfortable win in the runoff drew a sigh of relief from his allies on …

Winners and losers in France’s municipal elections – POLITICO

Winners and losers in France’s municipal elections – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Eric Ciotti: The new far-right mayor of Nice, the unofficial capital of the French Riviera, tried two years ago to strike a deal with Marine Le Pen’s National Rally as the head of the conservative Les Républicains. He locked himself in party headquarters to prevent a coup, but the farcical effort failed and he was booted from the movement. That gamble has paid off, handing him the keys to France’s fifth-largest city. His win is also a partial victory for Le Pen and Jordan Bardella’s party, which now has a powerful ally, but Ciotti’s triumph was also the result of a local rivalry. His advocacy for mass privatizations and admiration for Argentina’s chainsaw-wielding libertarian President Javier Milei also doesn’t align with Le Pen’s self-description as being “neither left nor right” and defense of parts of the welfare state. The National Rally: Party President Bardella said the National Rally “achieved the greatest breakthrough in its entire history.” Le Pen said it won dozens of cities. Eric Ciotti salutes his supporters in Nice after the results of the second round of …

Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire wins Paris mayoral race  – POLITICO

Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire wins Paris mayoral race  – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Tonight Parisians have sent a message to Jordan Bardella, to Marine Le Pen and to those who worked behind the scenes for a union of right-wing parties,” Grégoire said in a short speech before hopping on a bike to head to city hall. “The message is clear: Paris is not and will never be a far-right city.” His supporters in Paris were are celebrating, singing “Emmanuel” and“On a gagné” (we won). Grégoire finished the first round 12 points clear of Dati, but the runoff was expected to be a tougher challenge after other right-wing candidates coalesced behind Dati’s campaign. Two candidates who qualified for the second round, the center-right former lawmaker Pierre-Yves Bournazel and far-right MEP Sarah Knafo, both left the race to avoid splitting the vote. ​​ Mayoral candidate Emmanuel Grégoire is pictured in Paris following the announcement of the results of the second round of France’s local elections on March 22, 2026. | Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images Grégoire, however, chose not to team up with Chikirou on principle due to her party’s …

French voters to choose mayors in key cities including Paris and Marseille

French voters to choose mayors in key cities including Paris and Marseille

Published by Sam Flores

Voters began casting their ballots for mayors in top French cities on Sunday, with the left battling to keep Paris while the far right eyes gains ahead of next year’s presidential election. Voter turnout for the second round of municipal elections in metropolitan France was 20.33% at noon on Sunday, up nearly one percentage point from the first round on March 15 at the same time (19.37%), according to the Ministry of the Interior.  In the second round of the 2020 municipal elections, which took place during the Covid-19 pandemic, turnout at noon was 15.29%, down from the previous election in 2014, where the second-round turnout was 19.83%.  In 2008, turnout for the second round of the municipal elections at noon reached 23.68%, according to ministry data. Most of the country’s almost 35,000 villages, towns and boroughs elected their leaders in a first round last weekend, but the races went to run-offs in about 1,500 communes, including bigger urban centres. The local ballots are being closely watched to gauge the mood on the ground and potential …