Greeks have gone to the polls in the first election since the country's economy ceased to be subject to international lenders. Conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the leader of the left-wing Syriza party, Alexis Tsipras, are the two main contenders vying for power. Mitsotakis' New Democracy party is ahead in the polls, but the new electoral system of proportional representation means his 40% vote share is not enough to secure a majority of the 300 seats in Parliament. He has indicated he will seek a second election if necessary.
Posts tagged as “Parliament”
Transgender activists in Pakistan are challenging a ruling from the Federal Shariat Court that struck down several provisions of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, a landmark law passed in 2018 to secure the fundamental rights of transgender Pakistanis. Human rights groups have condemned the ruling and called on the government to take action to protect transgender rights. Activists are now appealing to the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the hopes of overturning the ruling and restoring the protections of the Act.
Harvard University has announced that former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will be joining the school later this year. Douglas Elmendorf, Dean of the Harvard Kennedy School, praised Ardern for her “strong and empathetic political leadership” and said her presence at the school will “generate vital conversations about the public policy choices facing leaders at all levels of government.” Ardern’s appointment to Harvard is a testament to her leadership and commitment to public service.
Jacinda Ardern, the world's youngest female head of government, gave her farewell speech to Parliament on Wednesday, reflecting on her time in office and the challenges she faced. She thanked her family, her political party, and her supporters for their support and hoped to have demonstrated that "you can be anxious, sensitive, kind and wear your heart on your sleeve" and still be a successful leader. She also hoped her legacy would be showing the world “you can be a nerd, a crier, a hugger” and still be a leader.
Turkey's Parliament has voted unanimously to ratify Finland's application to join NATO, ending months of delays and paving the way for Finland to become the 30th member of the Western military alliance. The decision follows Hungary's parliament endorsing Helsinki's accession earlier this week, and is in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine a year ago. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said the vote marks a “historic moment” for Finland, and the country is now ready to join NATO.
Thousands of French citizens took to the streets in protest on Thursday evening in response to President Emmanuel Macron's decision to pass pension reforms without a vote from the lower house. Polling from IFOP shows that the majority of French citizens find the decision unjustified, and protests have broken out in Paris and other cities. Smoke was seen rising early Friday over Gare du Lyon, a busy rail station in Paris, as the government faces increasing pressure to abandon the reforms.
Georgina Beyer, the world's first openly transgender member of Parliament, passed away at the age of 65. She was a tireless advocate for LGBTQ rights and was known for her work in the legalization of civil unions and gay marriage as well as the decriminalization of prostitution. Her death has been met with an outpouring of grief from the LGBTQ community and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who praised her for her courage and commitment to equality.
The Biden administration is set to announce the delivery of US-made Abrams tanks to Ukraine this week, in an effort to bolster the country's defense against Russian aggression. The move has been met with both anticipation and criticism, with Germany providing billions in humanitarian and military aid since the start of the war. The timing around the actual delivery of the tanks is still unclear, and it remains to be seen how effective they will be in the fight against Russian aggression.