Elections

There was a sigh of relief across Europe on the news of the victory of Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the French presidential elections held on Sunday (24 April), thwarting an attempt to unseat him by far right candidate Marie Le Pen. Many in Europe are describing the outcome as a win for the European Union.  "Bravo Emanuel", European Council president Charles Michel wrote on twitter. “In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe and a France totally committed to a more sovereign and more strategic European Union.” Whilst Macron was always the favorite to win, European countries watched anxiously as his lead in opinion polls narrowed in the days before the ballot. A victory for Le Pen, a deeply eurosceptic politician who has professed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, would have had huge implications for the stability of the EU. Le Pen had long flirted with the idea of leaving the bloc, although she insisted during her campaign that she had no “secret agenda” this time for quitting the group or the euro single currency.

Gunmen attacked the convoy of the interim Libyan Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah’s in Tripoli earlier this morning (10 February). A  bullet penetrated the windscreen of the car but Dbeibah and his driver escaped unhurt. Libya’s chief prosecutor has already launched an investigation into the attack.

Portugal's centre-left Socialists won an outright parliamentary majority in Sunday's snap general election, securing a strong new mandate for Prime Minister Antonio Costa. Speaking after results from exit polls were announced, Costa said the party had won 117 or 118 seats in the 230-seat parliament, up from 108 won in the 2019 election, and his supporters erupted in loud celebrations, singing old revolutionary anthem "Grandola" and waving flags.

After ending the year with chaos and uncertainty, Libya political factions disagreed over elections rules leading to the postponement of elections originally scheduled for 24 December 2021. It is now expected that elections be pushed towards a June 2022 deadline with no official date set yet.