United Kingdom General election
11 | July | 2017
Theresa May won the general elections in the United Kingdom but she fell short of eight seats to gain majority. Against May's major electoral goal, the Conservative Party was not able to reinforce its mandate, a requirement to implement a hard Brexit in the upcoming negotiations with the EU. The Conservatives announced a post-electoral coalition with the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) of Northern Ireland in order to form government.
Helmut Kohl (1930-2017)
30 | June | 2017
Helmut Kohl, former German Chancellor and thought to be the father of German reunification, died at the age of 87 years old. A historic leader of the CDU and statesman of European dimension, he was also one of the major contributors to the deepening of the European project and the Western transition to a post-Cold War order.
French Presidential Election
24 | June | 2017
Emmanuel Macron (En Marche!) was elected president of France with 66% of the popular vote against 34% of Marine Le Pen (National Front). The European Union lauded the results as a triumph of the European project. However, the abstention attained 25% and the white and null votes reached its highest rate ever, of 11%. Divisions and lack of satisfaction might contribute for Macron’s difficulties in running the country.
Iran Presidential Election
30 | May | 2017
Hassan Rouhani was reelected president of Iran in May 19th by achieving more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round. Rouhani is a moderate and stands for diplomatic openness in foreign policy. He was a key player in the 2015 nuclear agreement.
