Shock and embarrassment in Berlin! Friedrich Merz was elected only as the new German Prime Minister by Bundestag in the second round of votes. This has never happened before in the history of the Federal Republic.
Has he already damaged the item before he could bring the show onto the road? Can his alliance still work together in a spirit of trust? And what about his ambitious European plans?
Questions to the panel of this edition of the European Parliament: German Bolt Party sitting with the Greens, European Updates Anna Stuerguv of Europe (Austria) and Damian Bozelager of Sheikfried Mulléan of the European Poples Party (Romania).
Friedrich Merz of the era started out with a big deal. The 69-year-old did not receive the required majority of 316 votes in the first round. No one was expecting this!
Three months after the snap election that transformed his Christian Democrat into the biggest force of the Vandestag, Meltz is already under persistent attacks from fellow conservatives and their media allies for giving too much to his coalition partner, Social Democrats.
And that was even before he became prime minister! The question is, who were the opponents, the Christian Democrats, or the Social Democrats, or both? Some called them traitors. One thing is for sure, the new government starts with a serious distrust within its own rank.
Unfortunately, unfortunately, there is high hope that Mertz will revive the economy, bring Europe back to orbit, repair sputtering engines in France and Germany, repair Trump’s rule, and tame migration. Will it finally come to everything?
The second topic is a Romanian political thriller, where far-right eurosceptic George Simion won the first round of reruns of the Romanian presidential election.
A rebroadcast was required after the country’s Supreme Court overturned the election last December due to an attempted Russian manipulation. The decision was sharply criticised by the global far-right, including the Trump administration. Simion’s victory could have a serious impact on Europe, according to political observers.
On May 18, voters face tough choices from two radically different candidates, Simion and Bucharest mayor Nixondan.
Simion, the leader of the Romanian Nationalist Alliance, has increasingly coincided his rhetoric and position with those sympathetic to the Kremlin’s interests. In a recently widely criticized statement, Simion argued that Russia would not pose a threat to NATO.
His opponent is Dan, an independent candidate with a mathematics background and strong European progressive orientation. Therefore, voters need to decide on two fundamentally different visions.
Do Romanians maintain the country’s pro-European course? Or will the anti-EU power win?
Finally, the panel discussed the aftermath of the major blackouts that have recently hit the Iberian Peninsula and parts of France.
The signal broke, the elevator stopped, and electronic payments broke. Throughout the city, people intervened to help each other. The power outage may have been caused by technical issues, but the exact cause remains unknown.
Could it happen again elsewhere in Europe? Are we prepared for a major energy security crisis?
