International
One European elections, twenty-seven national elections: this is how each EU country votes
What at first glance seem to be a unified election for the European Parliament between this Thursday and Sunday are actually 27 different electoral processes, with their rules, thresholds, constituencies and rarities, in the absence of a unified electoral law in all the countries of the European Union as the European Parliament has insistently requested.
The celebration of these elections on four different days is the first detail that attracts attention: it began this Thursday in the Netherlands and on Friday in Ireland and the Czech Republic, which extends the election day until today, Saturday.
Estonia, for its part, has already started with electronic voting this Monday and is the only country that allows it.
But the Czechs are not the only ones who have two days to go to vote; it is also the case of the Italians, who in turn set the record for the latest closing time of the polling stations at eleven on Sunday night.
Most countries, including Spain, attend their polling stations on Sunday the 9th.
Each country also has its own rules regarding the voting margins necessary to get the first seat in the European Parliament: Spain accompanies thirteen other member states that have no threshold, but nine countries (Czech Republic, France, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia) set it at 5%; in Italy, Austria and Sweden it is 4%; in Greece 3% and in Cyprus 1.8%.
Also the alternatives to vote if a citizen is abroad are very different depending on their country of origin: the Czech Republic, Ireland, Malta and Slovakia do not allow to do so, although most countries do offer voting by mail and/or in an embassy or consulate. France, the Netherlands and Belgium also allow the proxy vote, for an authorized person to vote for the absentee.
On the other hand, it is mandatory to go to vote in Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Belgium and Greece, but not in the rest of the Member States. And in Malta, Austria, Belgium and Germany, citizens from the age of 16 will go to the polls, and 17 in the case of those from Greece.
The electoral law remains a competence mainly assigned to national governments and these, as in so many other areas, do not want to cede their sovereignty when organizing their elections as it suits them best because of their national idiosyncrasy: sometimes such simple issues as a local holiday or rules that are already applied in national elections come into play.
The European Parliament has insisted several times on the need to harmonize a series of minimum concepts, especially with a view to reinforcing the European character of these elections, which until now are excessively marked by the dynamics of each country.
Now two years ago, MEPs proposed, for example, that each European citizen should have two votes in the elections to the European Parliament: one equivalent to the current one, for the national lists, and an additional one for a single European constituency of 28 seats whose head of the list would be the candidate for the presidency of the European Commission.
In this proposal they also included that countries with more than 60 seats (Spain, Italy, France and Germany) had a minimum threshold of 3.5%, on May 9 (Europe Day) as a common voting day in all countries every five years and that the lists are compulsorily in zipper format (alternating a man and a woman successively) or with gender quotas to ensure equal representation.
The few characteristics common to all countries are reflected in the European electoral law of 1976, which protects the right of Europeans residing in another EU country to vote and stand for elections in their place of residence, a maximum threshold of 5%, the system of voting lists or transferable single vote and the incompatibilities to be an MEP
International
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.
All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.
The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.
The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.
“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
International
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.
“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.
Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.
According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.
International
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.
The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.
Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.
Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.
The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.
Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.
Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.
In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.
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