HOT: » Which party would you vote for (if you could) in the upcoming snap vote in Bulgaria on April 19?
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Angela Merkel's ruling coalition has lost the North Rhine-Westphalia elections while she was in Moscow for the Victory Day parade for the 65th year since the defeat of Nazi Germany. Photo by EPA/BGNES
Exit polls by ARD TV channel suggest that Germany’s ruling coalition has suffered a defeat in the elections in the country’s most populous province, North Rhine-Westphalia.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won 34.3%, and its coalition partners, the Free Democrats won only 6%.
This paves the way for the Social-Democrat Party of Germany with 34.4% and the Greens, who almost doubled their votes since 2005, getting 12.5%, to form a coalition government.
However, the elections in North Rhine - Westphalia have wider repercussions for Germany.
They were the first test for the Chancellor Angela Merkel's six-month-old coalition CDU and FDP government.
A victory for the SPD and the Greens would cost the ruling government its majority in the Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament which represents the 16 federal states, as the seats in the Bundesrat depend on the representation in the provincial governments.
The election loss for the ruling coalition comes just days after the German parliament approved EUR 22.4 B emergency bailout for Greece, a move that has proved deeply unpopular with voters.
TikTok has removed 34 accounts linked to what it described as coordinated inauthentic activity connected to Bulgaria’s upcoming parliamentary elections
A mayor in northwestern Bulgaria is under scrutiny after allegedly distributing social benefits alongside a political party’s election materials
NEW POLL: HUNGARIANS UNITED ON NEED FOR A ‘DIFFERENT’ RELATIONSHIP WITH THE EU, BUT DIVERGENCES REMAIN ON UKRAINE
A new survey by the “Sova Harris” agency indicates that six political formations would enter the next Bulgarian National Assembly, based on data collected between April 2 and 6 among 800 respondents through standardized face-to-face interviews
Bulgaria is bracing for an increase in disinformation activity in the run-up to the parliamentary elections on April 19, with authorities warning of coordinated attempts to influence voters and destabilize public trust
President Iliana Yotova convened a meeting of institutions responsible for the conduct of the early parliamentary elections on April 19, with a focus on assessing preparedness and ensuring that every vote is properly safeguarded
The Kremlin has announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an “Easter ceasefire” in the war in Ukraine, declaring a temporary halt in hostilities lasting around 36 hours
A group of Members of the European Parliament has raised concerns over the potential leakage of confidential EU information to Russia, urging stronger safeguards within the European Parliament
Moldovan President Maia Sandu has formally enacted legislation withdrawing the country from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), marking a decisive step in Chisinau’s gradual disengagement from Russian-led structures
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has carried out a series of coordinated investigative actions across several countries, including Bulgaria and Romania, as part of a probe into suspected large-scale fraud involving EU funds
A fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran has coincided with escalating tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has moved to tighten control over one of the world’s most critical maritime routes
US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized NATO allies over what he described as their unwillingness to support Washington during the war with Iran, following a two-hour meeting with Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House
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