Angela Merkel, the outgoing chancellor of Germany, seemed wary of offering her hand for a full handshake with the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, at a Brussels summit. Von der Leyen instead grasped Merkel’s hand by way of greeting, at what could be her compatriot’s final EU summit as chancellor Source link
Germany headed into a period of unpredictability Monday after a tight election saw both main parties claim the right to lead Europe’s biggest economy, leaving the question of who will succeed Angela Merkel wide open. Preliminary results showed that the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) had won the largest share of the vote at 25.7 percent, … Read more
Agence-France Presse has a handy guide to what happens next: First, all parties embark on what are known as “exploratory talks”. In this initial phase, which has no time limit, there is nothing to stop the parties from all holding coalition talks in parallel – though tradition dictates that the biggest party invites smaller ones … Read more
In elections to the Bundestag, or federal parliament, German voters cast two votes. The “first vote” is to elect a “direct” representative for their local constituency, much like in a British election; the candidate with the most votes wins the seat. The “second vote” is for a party list, as in many European countries. The … Read more
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday urged Germans to give her would-be successor Armin Laschet their vote to shape Germany’s future, in a last-ditch push to shore up his beleaguered campaign 24 hours before Germans vote. Laschet, 60, has been trailing his Social Democrat challenger Olaf Scholz in the race for the chancellery, although final polls … Read more
European Union foreign ministers are holding emergency talks on Tuesday to weigh the security implications of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan amid concern that widespread fear of hardline Islamist rule will provoke an exodus of people from the conflict-ravaged country. Afghans are among the biggest group of nationalities seeking sanctuary in Europe, after Syrians. According … Read more
Monthly payments to produce ‘largest ever decrease in child poverty’ Biden and Merkel to meet before holding joint press conference Senate to vote Wednesday to advance infrastructure bill – Schumer 5.55pm BST Joe Biden predicted Republicans will try to boast about the enhanced Child Tax Credit, even though they did not vote for the coronavirus … Read more
It will be her first visit to Washington during Biden’s presidency, and likely her final US visit in a long era as chancellor. Merkel is not seeking a fifth term, and elections to replace her are in September. She will have worked with four US presidents over her tenure. The White House said Merkel will … Read more
A leading contender to succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor this fall has called for “dialogue and toughness” toward China when it comes to defending democratic values and human rights. Annalena Baerbock, the environmentalist Greens’ candidate for chancellorship, told the weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that Europe should use its economic might to block Chinese goods … Read more
Germany’s coronavirus infection rate rose at the weekend despite stricter restrictions as Finance Minister Olaf Scholz cautioned he did not expect moves to ease curbs before the end of May. Germany is struggling to contain the third wave of infections, with efforts complicated by the more contagious B117 variant, which first emerged in the UK … Read more