France’s Macron Leads Le Pen in Polls Ahead of Runoff |
French President Emmanuel Macron led far-right challenger Marine Le Pen (FT) by around ten percentage points in polls ahead of France’s presidential runoff election on Sunday. Macron defeated Le Pen (BBC) with 66 percent of votes to her 34 percent in a runoff five years ago.
Le Pen has focused on attacking Macron for high living costs, while Macron is courting working-class and environmentally conscious voters, saying last week that he would move France away (Reuters) from oil, coal, and gas. Macron has also criticized Le Pen’s stance on Russia after she supported halting French weapons transfers (WaPo) to Ukraine and brokering a “strategic rapprochement” between Moscow and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as soon as the war in Ukraine ends.
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“If Macron wins, he could gain some traction for his vision of ‘strategic autonomy,’ which seeks to prioritize developing [European Union] political and military leadership apart from NATO. This view gained support during the Donald Trump administration, when Washington came to be seen as an unreliable partner, but will now be met with skepticism, especially in Eastern Europe and the Baltics,” CFR’s Matthias Matthijs writes.
“Mr. Macron may be unloved, but, partly thanks to his competent management of the economy, the pandemic and European affairs, his approval rating is over 40%—higher at the end of his term than his two predecessors, Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy (though neither of those got a second term),” the Economist writes.
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Biden Announces $1.3 Billion in Aid for Ukraine, Humanitarian Program for Migrants |
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Outgoing South Korean Leader Urges Dialogue With Pyongyang |
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, whose term ends on May 9, exchanged letters (Yonhap) with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this week. In his reply, Moon said he will continue to work toward Korean reunification even after his retirement.
Japan/Russia: Tokyo hardened its language (Kyodo) toward Moscow in its annual foreign policy report, saying that Russia “illegally occupied” four islands that Japan also claims. |
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India, UK Sign Defense Pact |
As part of the new deal, the United Kingdom (UK) will support India’s efforts (AP) to design and build its own fighter jets. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said London will also issue a special export license to facilitate weapons procurement, its first for the Indo-Pacific region.
India/Sri Lanka: India extended the duration (PTI) of a $400 million currency swap agreement with Sri Lanka, where an economic crisis is spiraling. It is the first credit extension for the country since Colombo stopped making debt payments on April 12.
For Foreign Affairs, Dushni Weerakoon discusses how the pandemic and the war in Ukraine led to Sri Lanka’s economic collapse. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
Palestinians, Israeli Police Clash at Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound |
Israeli police said they intervened at the compound after hundreds of people started throwing rocks and fireworks close to nearby Jewish worshippers. At least thirty-one Palestinians were injured (Reuters), Palestinian medics said. Libya: The country’s oil minister said forces loyal to rebel commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls the country’s east, were responsible for recent blockades (FT) of oil facilities that cut Libya’s oil production almost in half. |
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East African Leaders Threaten to Summon Regional Military Force Against DRC Rebels |
Officials from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda told rebel groups (East African) they could enter talks with the government or be “handled militarily” by a new regional fighting force.
Zambia: Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane called on creditors (Bloomberg) to negotiate a debt restructuring agreement, saying they were stalling after Zambia had done its part by committing to economic reforms with International Monetary Fund supervision. |
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Conservative Populists, Greens Face Off in Slovenian Parliamentary Elections |
Polls for parliamentary elections set for Sunday show a tight race (AP) between the Slovenian Democratic Party of Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who is close to populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and the liberal-green party Freedom Movement. |
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OAS Suspends Russia’s Observer Status |
The Organization of American States (OAS) voted to suspend (OAS) Russia’s permanent observer status in light of its invasion of Ukraine by a vote of 25-0, with eight abstentions and one absence.
This Backgrounder looks at the OAS.
U.S./Honduras: Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who left office in January, was extradited to the United States (BBC), where he faces charges of money laundering and drug trafficking. |
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The New York Times looks at how the war in Ukraine is forcing Orthodox worshippers worldwide to reconsider their relationship with the Moscow Patriarchate. |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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