#THENETHERLANDS: Wilders Ready For Coalition To Reawaken Netherlands

[world politics news]

Details are still emerging of the program of the new coalition government assembled by the leader of the Freedom Party, Geert Wilders, following his surprise victory in the elections last year. It's taken 6 months, but a right-leaning coalition has been agreed upon.

It's unclear who will be named prime minister,  but Wilders has signaled restrictions on immigration, a roll back of Net Zero policies, a renewal of nuclear power - to reduce dependence on Russian energy sources, and lower taxes. The current government's war on farmers will end, and support will be given to agriculture and food production.

The new immigration restrictions in the likely anti- EU Wilders government is making EU officials nervous, which probably suits Wilders just fine, even if he isn't chosen for the top spot. But EU officials see a trend emerging. EU member nation Italy elected a right-leaning government in recent years,  and Germany may follow suit, as immigration is at record levels in Europe. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#ITALY: Brothers Of Italy Party Surges In Poll

[world politics news]

The conservative Brothers of Italy Party, which is in opposition to the government of Italian prime minister Mario Draghi, have surged in support in a poll.

The party, which is the only member of Italy’s centre-right coalition of parties which has not participated in the current “technical government”, is polling at 17%, less than a percentage point behind the left-wing Democrats, which remains the second-largest party in the country.

Despite its name, the Euroskeptic Brothers of Italy Party is led by a woman, Giorgia Meloni, who could become Italy's first woman prime minister.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#SPAIN: Socialists Retain Power, But Rightist Vox Party Makes Huge Gains

[world politics news]

As expected, Spain's ruling socialist Party and its leader, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, won the most seats in the country's parliamentary election Sunday but must seek support from smaller parties in order to stay in power, which they expected to do, easily.

The election's real story is the anti-migrant right-leaning Vox Party was set to enter the lower house of Parliament for the first time with about 10% of the vote, which Will give it 24 seats.

The new nationalist party burst onto the scene this year, dramatically increasing its vote over the previous election's tally. In 2016, 47,182 people voted for Vox. In 2019, the figure increased to 2,673,828.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UK: Shock Poll Shows Brexit Party In First Place For EU Parl. Elections

[world politics news]

After three years of failed attempts to get the UK out of the European Union, the newly launched Brexit Party is topping a recent poll with 27% of the vote, according to the UK polling firm YouGov.

Last week, in its first poll on next month's' EU Parliamentary elections, the firm saw Nigel Farage’s party storming into third place with 15% of the vote, before the Brexit Party had even formally launched.

Now, YouGov's second poll shows the Brexit Party leapfrogging into first place on 27% of the vote, ahead of both the Conservative and Labour Parties.

Farange says it is likely the party will contest British parliamentary elections in the future, as well, a prospect surely to send shockwaves through the Conservative Party establishment.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#ITALY: EU Report Set To Warn Of "Contagion" Because Of Italian Recession, Blames Budget

[world politics news]

Italy’s budget does not contain measures able to boost growth and makes Rome a “risk of contagion” for the rest of the eurozone, according to a European Commission document leaked to the media. The report, due to be approved this week, is quoted as saying the budget would have negative effects on economic growth throughout the EU trading bloc.

Italy entered a recession at the end of 2018 and the commission has predicted growth this year of just 0.2 per cent, down from an earlier 1.2 per cent forecast. Passage of the budget in Italy was delayed this year, as EU officials threatened to sanction Italy for its anti-austerity budgeting.

Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said it was too early to say if the government would have to introduce a corrective budget later this year since “the government budget’s measures need time to have (positive) effects on the economy.”

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#FRANCE: Pres. Macron Planning High-Stakes Referendum That Could Cost Him His Job

[world politics news]

Pres. Emmanuel Macron is said to be considering a referendum to address key issues raised by yellow vest protesters, however, critics warn the embattled French President will "have to go" if he loses the vote. The 41-year-old leader is “considering this possibility as a way out of the yellow vest crisis," says a high-ranking government source.

It is understood a referendum is being considered for May 26, the same day as the European parliament elections, and the Elections Office has already contacted printers and paper suppliers in the event of a snap vote.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#EU: Populist Leaders Attack Merkel And Macron's French-German Treaty As A Surrender Of Sovereignty

[world politics news]

Populist leaders in Germany and France are attacking the Treaty of Aachen signed yesterday as a surrender of sovereignty for both nations. The treaty, which will "twin" their two economies, militaries and even political systems was signed by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Both hailed the treaty as a reaffirmation of the European Union, but some see in it a reassertion of Germany and France as the major superpowers within the EU. According to Merkel, the agreement is a step towards a common European army, which sets off alarm bells for many. It also appears to be a virtual economic, social and political merger of the two nations.

The treaty represents nothing short of "high treason,"  said French Euroskeptic Member of European Parliament Bernard Monot. Macron’s true aim is to deliver "Alsace and Lothringen, Judas-like, to the foreign power," said Monot. The leader of France’s National Rally, Marine Le Pen, accused Macron of "an act that borders on treason." She said the treaty opens the door to forcing children in France's border regions to speak German at school.

Alternative for Germany Party leader Alexander Gauland said Merkel and Macron are trying to create "A Super-EU" within the European Union. "We populists insist that both take care of their own country first."

[FULL STORY HERE AND HERE AND HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#FRANCE: Prime Min. Edouard Philippe Plans Legislation To Crack Down On "Undeclared Protests" To Combat Yellow Vest Demonstrations

[world politics news]

France plans to introduce legislation to toughen sanctions on undeclared protests in response to violent "yellow-vest" demonstrations, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe ahs said, in a hardening of the government's stance on the ongoing unrest.

Rioters torched motorcycles and set barricades on fire on Paris's upmarket Boulevard Saint-Germain last weekend, underscoring how protests against high living costs and President Emmanuel Macron have attracted a violent fringe.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#ITALY: Senate Passes 2019 Budget; Compromise With EU Staves Off Disciplinary Action

[world politics news]

The European Commission reached a deal with Italy over the national budget this week, after months of disagreements, narrowly avoiding disciplinary action by the European body. The budget grows the deficit by 2.04%, down from the deficit of 2.4% of GDP proposed budget originally Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's government. The final text of the budget arrived at the Italian senate after a series of extensive changes, which angered opposition lawmakers.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UK: PM Theresa May Running Out Of Allies As Brexit Vote Disaster Looms; Trade Sec. Condemns "Coup" By Parliament

[world politics news]

Allies are abandoning Prime Minister Theresa May as it appears her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement with the EU is headed for a disastrous defeat Tuesday, with Conservative Brexiteers angry about its compromises with the EU, coalition partners the Democratic Unionists upset about the Northern Ireland "backstop" and Labour united against it from the start. A vote this week by the House of Commons effectively blocked a "no deal" Brexit if the vote fails, allowing the House to take back control of the negotiations, rather than simply allowing the UK to leave the European Union without a deal. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox blasted the vote, in which 26 Conservatives voted with Labour Tuesday, calling it a "coup" against the people who voted to leave the EU in 2016. Meanwhile, calls for May to resign if the vote on her Withdrawal Agreement fail are increasing from within her own party.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#POLAND: Gov't Announces It Will Not Sign UN Migration Pact; Joining Israel, US, Hungary, Others

[world politics news]

World Politics News reported on Oct. 22 that Poland would likely not sign the UN Global Migration Pact. Today the Polish government announced that indeed it will not sign the United Nations Global Compact for Migration. In doing so, Poland joins the United States, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Estonia and Austria.

In a statement released today, the government said: "The Polish government has decided that Poland will not support the Global Compact … neither in Marrakesh nor during the subsequent vote at the UN General Assembly." Earlier in the day, Israel refused to support this migration pact.

Pictured: Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#ITALY: Gov't Defiant After European Commission Rejects Budget; EU Must "Treat Us With Respect" Says Dep. PM Salvini

[world politics news]

Italy's Euroskeptic government remains defiant after the European Commission rejected its proposed annual budget. Italy missed a deadline last week to reply to the Commission's objections to its budget, which increases borrowing and spending past the EU's limits.

The Commission, worried by the impact of high spending on Italy's high levels of debt, had told Rome to revise the budget or face possible fines. The warning to Italy, the eurozone's third-biggest economy, is an unprecedented move with regard to an European Union member state.

Populist Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini complained to reporters about the EU's actions, saying, "Seeing as we pay for our membership of this club we want this club to treat us with respect."

Pictured: Italy's co-Deputy Prime Ministers Luigi Di Maio (left) and Matteo Salvini.

[FULL STORY HERE AND HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UK: Boris Johnson Warns Of "Colony" Status For The UK Under PM May's Brexit Plan

[world politics news]

Former Foreign Minister Boris Johnson took to twitter Tuesday to warn that Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan could lead to "Colony" status for the United Kingdom. "No one is fooled by this theatre," Johnson wrote, "Delay after staged managed delay. A deal will be reached and it will mean surrender by the UK. We will be doomed to remain in the customs union and under Brussels’ regulatory control. People did not vote for colony status."

"We still have time to go for something better - a SuperCanada free trade deal that will allow the UK to benefit from brexit and actually respect the referendum. The future can be bright if only we change course now." Johnson is seen a potential rival for May to become the next Prime Minister. He resigned earlier this year from her cabinet to protest her plan, the Chequers Agreement, which has divided the Conservative Party by seeking a period of transition in which many of the EU's rules and regulations would still apply to British trade.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#POLAND: Interior Minister Recommends Opting Out Of UN Migration Deal, Due To Be Signed In December; Hungary Already A "No"

[world politics news]

Poland should not sign the United Nations new migration pact, says Joachim Brudzinski, Poland's minister of internal affairs. Brudzinski cites the lack of guarantees for "Poland's safety," and says it may encourage illegal immigration to Europe. He says he will recommend that Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki opt out of the Global Compact deal, which is due to be signed in December in Marrakesh, Morocco.

Hungary has already announced it will not sign the Global Compact For "Safe, Orderly and Regular” Migration, which was approved in July. The United States pulled out already, arguing that it interfered with America's immigration laws. Eastern European nations have been increasingly skeptical of both European and UN's regulations of migration.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UK: PM May Demands "Respect" From EU After Brexit Plan Rebuffed

[world politics news]

Prime Minister Theresa May has made a dramatic speech on TV in which she decried the EU's terse rejection of her plan to take the United Kingdom out of the European trade area.

May said the UK "demands respect" from the EU, and said talks had reached an "impasse" that needs "serious engagement" from the EU side. Following a conference in Salzburg, Austria, European Council President Donald Tusk said a "compromise" was possible but the UK proposals had to be "reworked."

May's plans had already come under fire by her own party as being too much of a compromise with the EU.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#POLAND: Pres. Duda Calls EU "Imaginary Community" And "Irrelevant"

[world politics news]

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has called the European Union, of which Poland is a member, an “imaginary community” of little relevance to Poles. “When our affairs are resolved, we will deal with European affairs,” Duda said in a speech. “For now let them leave us alone and let us fix Poland, because this is the most important thing.” Duda and the ruling Law and Justice Party have been in conflict with the EU over an overhaul of the Polish judicial system which the EU sees as violating the rule of law. Duda's government says the reforms as making judges more accountable.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HUNGARY: PM Orban Considers Legal Action After EU Imposes Sanctions Over "Undemocratic" Practices

[world politics news]

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban says his government is considering launching a legal challenge against the European Union, after the EU's legislative body imposed sanctions against it, citing "undemocratic" practices by Orban's government. In turn, Orban claims the vote - in which a two-thirds majority of MEPs voted to start so-called Article 7 disciplinary proceedings against Hungary - is “invalid” because it did not take into account abstentions. Hungary has clashed with the EU repeatedly, because it has resisted many attempts by the EU to take in its share of migrants being allowed into Europe. Orban said the European Parliament has a "clear pro-migration majority."


[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#SWEDEN: Dalai Lama Shocks Audience, Saying "Europe Belongs To Europeans," Urges Migrants To Return Home

[world politics news]

Speaking at a conference in Sweden's third-largest city of Malmö, home of a large migrant population, the Dalai Lama shocked his audience by telling them that he believed that "Europe belongs to the Europeans," and that he believed recent migrants from other nations should return to their home countries and help to rebuild them. The Tibetan spiritual leader said Europe was "morally responsible" for helping "a refugee really facing danger against their life." He continued, "Receive them, help them, educate them… but ultimately they should develop their own country." The anti-migrant Sweden Democrats made large gains in the recent parliamentary election.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UK: Top Official Says Labour Party Will Vote Against Any #Brexit Deal, Hoping To Prompt New Elections

[world politics news]

Britain’s opposition Labour Party is set to vote against any Brexit deal reached by Prime Minister Theresa May and the lack of a viable exit from the European Union will force May from office before Christmas, a senior Labour Party lawmaker told the Financial Times. The United Kingdom is due to leave the European Union on March 29 and yet little is clear. There is, so far, no full exit agreement and some rebels in May’s Conservative Party have threatened to vote down a deal if she clinches one.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UK: EU's Chief #Brexit Negotiator Hopeful About Deal With UK By November

[world politics news]

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, says a Brexit deal is possible within six to eight weeks. if both sides are "realistic" there could be an agreement on the terms of the UK's exit by early November. His comments come amid unconfirmed reports a one-off summit of EU leaders could be convened in the middle of November to sign off the agreement. Analysts say his conciliatory comments are designed to assist UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who is facing a rebellion in her own party among those wishing to take a hard line with the EU in negotiations.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.