Portugal Election: Centre-Right Democratic Alliance Wins, But No Majority Again
Political instability continues as centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD) wins parliamentary Portugal Election, but falls short of majority.
Europe
Ukrainian Parliament Approves Budget Code Amendments to Enact US Minerals Deal
Ukraine’s parliament passes Budget Code amendments to implement minerals agreement with US, of joint investment & access to critical minerals like lithium, titanium.
Bulgarian Parliament Speaker Rejects President’s Call for Euro Referendum
Bulgarian Parliament Speaker Nataliya Kiselova rejects President Rumen Radev’s call for a referendum on euro adoption, saying it violates the constitution and EU treaties.
Germany: Who is Friedrich Merz? the newly elected Chancellor of Germany
Friedrich Merz is the newly elected Chancellor of Germany, officially taking office in May 2025 after a tense and unprecedented second-round vote in the Bundestag. At 69 years old, he is the oldest post-war German chancellor to assume office, and his rise marks a significant shift in German politics.
Romania: Who is George Simion, Complete profile of Romanian Political Firebrand
Simion entered politics in 2019, running independently in the European Parliament election, where he earned over 117,000 votes but failed to win a seat. He subsequently founded the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) on 19 September 2019 with a focus on nationalism, conservatism, and the unification of Romanians globally.
Germany Chancellor election: Friedrich Merz Elected as Germany’s New Chancellor
Friedrich Merz has officially been elected Germany’s 10th chancellor since World War II, following a tense two-round vote in the Bundestag that exposed cracks in the newly formed ruling coalition. Merz secured 325 votes in the second round—just above the 316 needed for a majority.
Europe: George Simion Wins First Round of Romania’s Presidential Rerun
George Simion, leader of Romania’s far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), has won the first round of the country’s rerun presidential election, securing 40.96% of the vote, with nearly all ballots counted.
Belgium: Who is Bart De Wever, Belgium’s first-ever Flemish nationalist prime minister
Bart De Wever is a Belgian historian, author, and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Belgium since February 3, 2025. He is the leader of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), a right-wing nationalist party advocating for greater regional autonomy for Flanders. De Wever is also the first Flemish nationalist to hold the office of Prime Minister in Belgium.
NATO Defence Ministers Prepare for Washington Summit
NATO Defence Ministers concluded a two-day meeting on Friday (14 June 2024) to prepare the Washington Summit in July. They discussed strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence and support for Ukraine.
European Parliament’s (EP) new Bureau elected
The 14 Vice-Presidents and five Quaestors, together with the President, comprise Parliament’s Bureau. In a secret vote by paper ballot, 11 Vice-Presidents were elected in the first round of voting, and three in the second and final ballot. The vote on Parliament’s Quaestors took place on Wednesday, in two rounds by secret electronic vote.