Spanish Election Yields No Clear Congressional Majority |
Spain’s center-right Popular Party won the most votes in yesterday’s parliamentary election, but even with their preferred coalition partner Vox, still fell short of the support needed (El País) to form a congressional majority. The far-right Vox will shrink in Congress, while the ruling center-left Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party and the left-wing Sumar will grow. Many polls had predicted a comfortable victory by Spanish conservatives, but the tight margin means smaller parties such as pro-independence Catalan and Basque groups could gain influence (Euractiv) in left attempts at coalition formation.
Soon after Spain’s parliament convenes on August 17, King Felipe VI will summon congressional leaders (Politico) to discuss which parties have sufficient support to form a government. Though the king historically authorizes the most-voted party to rule, he could also choose based on the size of coalition support.
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“Forming parliamentary majorities has been a puzzle in Spain since the country effectively abandoned bipartisanship in 2015. Eight years later, although the two main parties concentrate most of the votes, the labyrinth of Congress has become even more complicated,” El País’s Xosé Hermida writes.
“Vox’s poor result is nevertheless a positive outcome for Spanish democracy. It demonstrates that, despite recent electoral advances for the hard right in countries such as Finland, Italy and Sweden, the vast majority of Spaniards reject Vox’s extremism and doubt its qualifications to share power at national level,” the Financial Times editorial board writes.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Israeli Demonstrators Gather as Parliament Votes on Judicial Overhaul |
Protesters gathered in Jerusalem outside of Israel’s parliament as it began voting (Al-Monitor) on a clause of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan that aims to limit Supreme Court oversight of legislative decisions.
Jordan/Syria: The two countries held talks (AFP) yesterday via a new bilateral forum in Amman on reducing drug smuggling from Syria through Jordan and onward into Gulf states, Jordan’s foreign ministry said.
This In Brief by CFR’s Kali Robinson explains how Syria is normalizing its ties with Arab countries.
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Washington Announces Sanctions on Cambodia After ‘Neither Free Nor Fair’ Election |
Prime Minister Hun Sen’s party won an overwhelming victory (Nikkei) in Sunday’s vote after authorities disqualified several opposition candidates. The United States responded by imposing visa restrictions on individuals who undermined democracy in the election process and pausing some foreign assistance programs to Cambodia. China/Taiwan: China sent thirty-seven planes and seven ships (AP) toward Taiwan over the weekend as the island prepares to conduct anti-invasion military exercises next week. |
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Economic Times: India Scraps Plan For Chinese EV Plant |
New Delhi rejected a proposal for Chinese company BYD to build a $1 billion four-wheeler manufacturing plant in partnership with Indian firm Megha Engineering and Infrastructures. An unnamed Indian government official told the Economic Times that “security concerns with respect to Chinese investments in India” were flagged.
Afghanistan/Pakistan: Flooding from heavy rains has killed at least thirty-one people (AP) in Afghanistan and thirteen in Pakistan over the last three days, officials said. The floods come after three consecutive years of drought in Afghanistan.
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Italy’s Meloni Holds Migration Conference With African, Middle Eastern Leaders |
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hosted leaders (AP) from Africa and the Middle East yesterday in Rome, where she called for better management of migrant flows to Europe and more support for migrants’ countries of origin. Meloni said she plans to hold a donors conference (AFP) in the future. The summit comes a week after a central participant of the summit, Tunisia, agreed to move forward on a deal with the European Union (EU) that included aid to help strengthen the country’s border control.
Sudan: An exchange of rocket fire between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces this weekend killed at least sixteen civilians (AFP) in the Darfur region, a lawyers’ union said. Sunday marked the one hundredth day (Reuters) of war in Sudan.
In this In Brief, CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo and Diana Roy look at Sudan’s humanitarian crisis.
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Russia Blames Ukraine for Drone Attacks on Moscow |
Drones hit two buildings in Moscow (Moscow Times, AFP) and an ammunition depot in Crimea today, Russian officials said. Moscow blamed Kyiv for the strikes, while an unnamed Ukrainian source said it was a “special operation” carried out by Kyiv’s forces. The drone strikes come a day after Ukraine vowed to retaliate against Russia for its attacks on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa.
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Ecuadorian Mayor Assassinated |
Agustín Intriago Quijano, mayor of the city of Manta, was gunned down (Bloomberg) at a public event on Sunday, making him the second politician killed in a week. The homicide rate in Ecuador has risen more than 300 percent over the last five years as the country battles drug-related crime.
Brazil: President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva tightened civilian gun access (AP) by presidential decree, reducing the number of firearms that civilians can own for personal safety from four to two. The decree aims to reverse some pro-firearm policies implemented by his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.
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Biden Elevates CIA Director William Burns to Cabinet Post |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065 |
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