The strong showing of Finland’s nationalist True Finns party in elections Sunday 17 April have put a damper on Portugal’s bid for a European Union financial bailout. The party zoomed from 6 to 39 seats in parliamentary elections, taking third place after the Conservative party, with 44 seats and the opposition Social Democrats with 42 seats.
The True Finns party turned the election into a vote over Finland’s willingness to back a rescue package for Portugal, which is currently negotiating one with the EU. Any such package requires a unanimous vote from the 17-member eurozone countries. The Conservatives will have to invite at least one of the other two parties to a coalition, reports Reuters, and while the Social Democrats are not against rescue packages, they oppose the current arrangements for funding them.
Links to other sites: Euronews, Reuters/The Globe & Mail, Guardian
Ireland’s political parties are slowly working through the issues that will face a new coalition government, even as recounts from are underway in some areas, notably Galway West. The Irish Times reports that “Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore will meet again this morning to continue talks on the formation of a coalition government”, noting that “while the positions of the two parties are similar in a number of policy areas, there are major differences between them over key issues such as the reduction of public sector debt; the ratio between tax and cuts; water charges; property tax; indirect taxes and public sector reform.”
The Irish general election Friday 25 February saw a crushing defeat for ruling Fianna Fáil party over the disastrous performance of the economy and the country’s crippling debt.
Links to other sites: CS Monitor, Financial Times, International Business Times
Ireland is faced with the prospect of an election earlier than the one the prime minister has called for 11 March, with the Green Party leaving the ruling coalition Sunday 23 January. Prime Minister Brian Cowen called for an election Thursday, after six ministers resigned from the government, and he then said he would not lead his Fianna Fail party after the election. The Green Party says it will support Cowen’s austerity package, which is provoking anger among Irish voters, despite leaving the coalition. The government’s belt-tightening package is attempting to reduce the country’s high level of debt following the bailout of its banks.
Links to other sites: CNN, Irish Times, Telegraph
Australia’s general election Saturday, 21 August, has resulted in a dead heat with both major parties short of an outright majority, even as vote counting goes on in some areas. The ruling Labour Party claims 73 seats in the new parliament as does the Liberal and National (conservative) Coalition. A majority requires 76 seats.
Three independent members of parliament and one Green MP have suddenly become very popular, and hold the balance of power. The independents are likely to meet Tuesday to discuss which party to support in a minority government.
Links to other sites: BBC, Sydney Morning Herald, Time, Wall Street Journal
Yves LeTerme, Belgium’s prime minister, has handed his resignation to King Albert after the Flemish liberal Party, VLD, withdrew from LeTerme’s coalition government in a long-running dispute about the rights of French-speakers in Dutch-speaking areas. The resignation, which has reportedly not yet been accepted by the king, follows an emergency cabinet meeting Thursday evening.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU centre-right bloc polled almost 34 percent in the German general election Sunday 27 September while her government coalition partners, the centre-left socialist party, SPD, obtained their worst results since the Second World War, with 23.4 percent. The results allow Merkel to ditch the socialists and open talks with the business-friendly liberal party, FDP about forming a new government underpinned by a stable majority in parliament.The FDP obtained almost 15 percent of the vote, its best result ever.
Germany is in the midst of its worst economic crisis in decades, the economy is expected to contract by five percent this year, and the liberal party will want to discuss health care reform, tax cuts and a reduction of the welfare state before joining a government. CNN, NZZ, Reuters
