Displaying items by tag: Politics

The French left is facing internal divisions once again, this time sparked by Jean-Luc Mélenchon's call to impeach President Emmanuel Macron. Mélenchon and his allies in the France Unbowed movement are pressuring Macron to appoint Lucie Castets as prime minister, threatening impeachment if he refuses. This has highlighted the fragility of the New Popular Front alliance, which includes Socialists, Greens, and Communists, and undermines the unity they displayed in recent snap elections. While the impeachment threat is unlikely to succeed (it requires a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament), it has exposed significant fractures within the left-wing coalition. All the other parties, including Castets’ supporters, were quick to distance themselves from the idea. This discord is seen as advantageous for Macron's camp, as it weakens the opposition.

Thousands of Indonesians are protesting against their government's attempt to reverse a constitutional court ruling that would allow smaller parties to field candidates without needing 20% representation in regional assemblies. Demonstrations have erupted in Jakarta and other major cities as the parliament, dominated by supporters of outgoing president Joko Widodo, and his successor, Prabowo Subianto, swiftly moved to pass emergency legislation. This would maintain the status quo, favouring the ruling coalition: it would also prevent a prominent critic, Anies Baswedan, from running for the influential post of Jakarta governor. The court also upheld the current minimum age limit of thirty for candidates, which would bar Mr Widodo's 29-year-old son from running in a regional contest in Central Java. Despite widespread condemnation, the government has downplayed the situation as part of the ‘checks and balances’ of governance.

During a convention for black journalists, Donald Trump questioned Kamala Harris' racial identity, falsely claiming that she has only recently emphasised her black heritage. Trump remarked, ‘I didn't know she was black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black’, and questioned whether she was Indian or black. Harris, the first black and Asian-American vice-president, dismissed Trump's remarks as divisive and disrespectful, emphasising that America's diversity is a strength. Her parents are Indian and Jamaican, and she attended Howard University and joined the Congressional Black Caucus in 2017. One critic asked, ‘Who appointed Donald Trump the arbiter of Blackness?’ He has a history of racially charged attacks, including false claims about Barack Obama's birthplace and questioning Nikki Haley's eligibility for presidency. Harris has faced a series of attacks since becoming the Democratic nominee: some Republicans have labelled her a ‘DEI vice-president’ - a reference to diversity, equity, and inclusion programmes.

Two days after Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt, he was formally adopted by the Republican party as its nominee for the US presidential election in November. He has chosen JD Vance, a 39-year-old former venture capitalist and Ohio senator, as his running mate. Vance, who came to prominence in 2016 when he published an autobiography entitled ‘Hillbilly Elegy’, at that time compared Trump to Hitler and called him an ‘idiot’. However, since then he has become a steadfast supporter, even attending court to support Trump at his hush money trial. He has blamed Joe Biden for the assassination attempt, citing Biden’s rhetoric against Trump as a contributing factor.

Sir Keir Starmer has declared a historic Labour victory in Britain’s general election, achieving a majority of at least 172 seats. Rishi Sunak acknowledged the Conservative party’s devastating defeat, which saw its worst-ever result. Despite Labour’s historic win, its public support remains shallow, securing power with about 34% of the national vote. Starmer, addressing activists, emphasised hope and progress. Labour’s victory mirrors Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide, but with a lower vote share. Its success was partly due to the rightwing vote being split by Nigel Farage’s Reform party. One pollster commented that it seemed more a Conservative loss than a Labour win. The Liberal Democrats won 71 seats (compared with only eight in 2019), and the other big losers were the Scottish National Party, which lost 38 seats in the Labour ‘tsunami’. Overall turnout was only 60%, almost the lowest-ever proportion in a general election.

The scale of the swing to Labour means that a significant number of prominent Conservatives have lost their seats. These include former prime minister Liz Truss, defence secretary Grant Shapps, justice secretary Alex Chalk, education secretary Gillian Keegan, leader of the house Penny Mordaunt, and influential back-bencher Jacob Rees-Mogg. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt held on to his seat by just 891 votes. The Tories also lost the seats formerly held by prime ministers David Cameron, Boris Johnson, and Teresa May. By contrast, nearly 50% of all MPs will be entering the House of Commons for the first time.

The Supreme Court has returned Donald Trump's claim of immunity from prosecution for his actions while president to a lower court. Trump faces charges related to alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election and the Capitol riots in January 2021. The court ruled 6-3 that former presidents have absolute immunity for official acts but not for unofficial acts. Lower courts must now decide if his actions were official or private. Trump celebrated the decision, while the three dissenting judges expressed dismay because it seems to undermine the principle that no one is above the law. One of them called the decision ‘absurd and dangerous’. The ruling delays Trump's trial, which had originally been scheduled for 4 March; it is now unlikely to conclude before the November election. Trump, who has pleaded not guilty, still faces three other indictments.

Joe Biden, who is 81, has attributed his poor performance in his first presidential debate with Donald Trump to travel exhaustion, joking that he ‘nearly fell asleep’ on stage. He has admitted he wasn't very smart for travelling extensively, going ‘around the world a couple of times’ and crossing numerous time zones, not long before the debate in Atlanta. He acknowledged he didn't have his best night, despite spending six days at Camp David preparing. In contrast,Trump, 78, appeared vigorous, although he repeated a number of what critics have said are false claims. Some prominent Democrats, alarmed at Biden’s showing, are urging him to withdraw from the 2024 race in order to prevent a Trump victory. Although he has said, ‘I’m not leaving’, speculation is mounting that this is a possibility: see

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer engaged in a heated final debate before the general election on 4 July, clashing over tax, immigration, gender, and Brexit. Sunak accused Starmer of planning tax hikes and lacking a strategy for illegal immigration. Starmer countered by criticising Sunak's unfunded tax promises and alleged detachment from voters. Both faced tough questions from the audience, including doubts about their suitability as leaders. Starmer also accused Sunak of being 'bullied' into addressing the scandal involving a number of Tory candidates betting on the election date. Sunak defended his actions as necessary due to the seriousness of the matter. See This scandal has hit the Conservatives at a critical moment, potentially jeopardising their already shaky election prospects. Keir Starmer has called for accountability, emphasising that such actions are unacceptable.

Five years after Bougainville’s decisive vote for independence from Papua New Guinea (PNG), frustrations are growing due to the stalled political process. Over 97% of the autonomous region’s approximately 300,000 residents voted for independence in a 2019 referendum. However, the change requires ratification by PNG’s parliament, which has not yet occurred. Talks broke down last year over disagreements on the ratification process; Bougainville wants a simple majority vote, while PNG insists on a two-thirds majority. Both parties have agreed on an international moderator, but progress remains slow. Bougainville’s president Ishmael Toroama is pressing PNG to fulfil its promises, as residents express deep frustration over the delays. Bougainville has long sought independence, especially following protests against the environmental and social impacts of a copper mine and the subsequent civil war from 1989 to 1998. A 2001 peace agreement led to autonomous governance in 2005 and then to the referendum.