Latest news with #politicalfuture
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Japan PM Shigeru Ishiba clings to power after bruising defeat in parliament
Prime minister Shigeru Ishiba's political future hangs in the balance after his ruling coalition suffered a significant setback in Japan 's upper house elections, losing its majority and plunging the government into a rare state of divided control. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner Komeito won just 47 of the 125 contested seats in the House of Councillors, falling short of their pre-election target of 50 seats. The coalition's overall strength in the 248-member chamber has now dropped to 122 seats, down from 141 before the vote. The tightly contested elections were held on Sunday amid voters' frustration at the coalition over rising prices and the risk of Donald Trump's tariffs. However, Mr Ishiba has vowed not to quit in a series of televised remarks after the results were announced on Sunday evening. Mr Ishiba told reporters he would remain prime minister, citing a looming tariff deadline with the United States set to strain the world's fourth-largest economy. But said he "solemnly" accepts the "harsh result". Having already lost its majority in Japan's more powerful lower house last year, this latest defeat further weakens the coalition's political influence. With this loss, the ruling alliance no longer holds a majority in either house of Japan's bicameral parliament – a scenario not seen in the country's postwar political history. Analysts say his days in office may be numbered now as opposition parties are pledging to cut taxes and tighten immigration policies. "The political situation has become fluid and could lead to a leadership change or the reshuffling of the coalition in coming months, but prime minister Shigeru Ishiba will likely stay to complete the tariff negotiations with the US for now," said Oxford Economics' lead Japan economist Norihiro Yamaguchi. Adding to the economic anxiety, Mr Ishiba's lack of progress in averting tariffs set to be imposed by its biggest trading partner, the US, on 1 August appears to have frustrated some voters. "Had the ruling party resolved even one of these issues, it (their approval rate) would have gone up, but we didn't feel anything and it seems like the US would continue to push us around," Hideaki Matsuda, a 60-year-old company manager, said outside Tokyo 's bustling Shinjuku station on Monday morning. The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party (CDPJ) finished second in Sunday's election with 22 seats in the ballot. Its leader, Yoshihiko Noda, said he is considering submitting a vote of non-confidence in the Ishiba administration as the result showed it did not have voters' trust. Some of the votes also got divided with the far-right Sanseito party, which clocked the biggest gains of the night, adding 14 seats to one elected previously. Birthed on YouTube during the Covid-19 pandemic spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and a cabal of global elites, the party broke into mainstream politics with its "Japanese First" campaign and warnings about a "silent invasion" of foreigners.
Russia Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Zelensky may not last much longer
The political future of Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky appears increasingly uncertain, according to officials in Washington cited by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh. The prospect of the president being replaced by former armed forces commander Valery Zaluzhny is reportedly growing amid waning domestic support and mounting frustration in Washington. Zelensky suspended national elections under martial law and opted not to step down after his presidential term officially ended in 2024. His former top military commander, who was dismissed earlier this year and later appointed ambassador to the UK, has reportedly long been considered a potential successor. 'Zelensky is on a short list for exile, if [US] President Donald Trump decides to make the call,' the veteran reporter wrote on Friday. One US official familiar with internal discussions suggested that if Zelensky refuses to step down — which they believe is the most likely scenario — he may ultimately be removed by force. Zaluzhny is currently seen as the most credible successor to Ukraine's leader, according to 'knowledgeable' officials in Washington cited by Hersh, who added that the 'job could be his within a few months.' Zelensky's popularity, which soared to 90% in the early months after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, has steadily declined due to battlefield setbacks and ongoing economic difficulties. The latest polls suggest that only 52% of Ukrainians still trust him, while around 60% would prefer he not seek another term. Western media outlets have recently shifted their tone, with some portraying Zelensky as increasingly authoritarian. Others have reported that officials in Washington believe 'it's time for an election and new leadership.' Russian officials have also raised concerns about Zelensky's legitimacy, arguing that any international agreements signed under his leadership could be legally challenged. While Moscow has expressed a willingness to negotiate with Zelensky, it remains skeptical of his authority to finalize any lasting deal.
RNZ News
7 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
New Caledonia's politicians to get police protection following death threats
Demonstration in support New Caledonia against the unfreezing of the electoral body, Place de la Republique, in Paris. 25 May 2024. Photo: AFP / Fiora Garenzi / Hans Lucas New Caledonian politicians who inked their commitment to a deal with France on 12 July will be offered special police protection, following threats uttered especially on social networks. The group to benefit from such measures includes almost twenty members of New Caledonia's parties, both pro-France and pro-independence, who took part in deal-breaking negotiations with the French State that ended on 12 July 2025, and a joint commitment regarding New Caledonia's political future. The endorsed document envisages a roadmap in the coming months to turn New Caledonia into a "State", but within the French realm. It is what some legal experts have sometimes referred to as "a State within the State", while others saying this was tantamount to pushing the French Constitution to its very limits. The document is a commitment by all signatories that, from now on, they will stick to their respective positions. The tense but conclusive negotiations took place behind closed doors in a hotel in the small city of Bougival, near Paris, under talks driven by French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls and a team of high-level French government representatives and advisors. It followed Valls's several unsuccessful attempts, earlier this year, to reach a consensus between parties who want New Caledonia to remain part of France and others representing the pro-independence movement. Left to right: pro-France leaders Sonia Backès, Nicolas Metzdorf, Gil Brial with FLNKS chief negotiator Emmanuel Tjibaou Photo: Nicolas Metzdorf But to reach a compromise agreement, both sides have had to make concessions. The pro-French parties, for instance, have had to endorse the notion of a State of New Caledonia or that of a double French-New Caledonian nationality. Pro-independence parties have had to accept the plan to modify the rules of eligibility to vote at local elections so as to allow more non-native French nationals to join the local electoral roll. They also had to postpone or even give up on the hard-line full sovereignty demand for now. Over the past five years and after a series of three referendums (held between 2018 and 2021) on self-determination, both camps have increasingly radicalised. This resulted in destructive and deadly riots that broke out in May 2024, resulting in 14 deaths, over €2 billion in material damage, thousands of jobless and the destruction of hundreds of businesses. Over one year later, the atmosphere in New Caledonia remains marked by a sense of tension, fear, uncertainty on both sides of the political chessboard. Since the deal was signed and made public, on 12 July, and even before flying back to New Caledonia, all parties have been targeted by a wide range of reactions from their militant bases, especially on social media. Some of the reactions have included thinly-veiled death threats in response to a perception that, on one side or another, the deal was not up to the militants' expectations and that the parties' negotiators were now regarded as "traitors". Since signing the Paris agreement, all parties have also recognised the need to "sell" and "explain" the new agreement to their respective militants. Most of the political parties represented during the talks have already announced they will hold meetings in the coming days, in what is described as "an exercise in pedagogy". "In a certain number of countries, when you sign compromises after hundreds of hours of discussions and when it's not accepted (by your militants), you lose your reputation. In our can risk your life", moderate pro-France Calédonie Ensemble leader Philippe Gomès, who was part of the negotiations, told public broadcaster Nouvelle-Calédonie La Première on Wednesday. Pro-independence FLNKS (Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front) chief negotiator Emmanuel Tjibaou, as early as Saturday 12 July, was the first to envision negative repercussions back in New Caledonia. "To choose this difficult and new path also means we'll be subject to criticism. We're going to get insulted, threatened, precisely because we have chosen a different path", he told a post-signing debrief meeting hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. In 1988, Tjibaou's father, pro-independence leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou, also signed a historic deal (known as the "Matignon-Oudinot accords" with pro-France's Jacques Lafleur, under the auspices of then Prime Minister Michel Rocard. The deal largely contributed to restoring peace in New Caledonia, after a state of quasi-civil war during the second half of the 1980s. The following year, he and his closest associate, Yeiwéné Yeiwéné, were both shot dead by a man who was identified as Djubelly Wéa, a hard-line member of the pro-independence movement, who believed the signing of the 1988 deal was a "betrayal" of the indigenous Kanak people's struggle for sovereignty and independence. "Nobody has betrayed anybody, whichever party he belongs to. All of us, on both sides, have defended and remained faithful to their beliefs. We had to work and together find a common ground for the years to come, for (New) Caledonians. Now that's what we need to explain", pro-France Rassemblement-LR leader Virginie Ruffenach said. In an interview earlier this week, Valls said he was very much aware of the local tensions. "I'm aware there are risks, even serious ones. And not only political. There are threats on elections, on politicians, on the delegations. What I'm calling for is debate, confrontation of ideas and calm". "I'm aware that there are extremists out there, who may want to provoke a civil war...a tragedy is always possible. "The risk is always there. Since the accord was signed, there have been direct threats on New Caledonian leaders, pro-independence or anti-independence. We're going to act to prevent this. There cannot be death threats on social networks against pro-independence or anti-independence leaders", Valls said. Over the past few days, special protection French Police officers have already been deployed to New Caledonia to take care of politicians who took part in the Bougival talks and wish to be placed under special scrutiny. "They will be more protected than (French cabinet) ministers", French national public broadcaster France Inter reported on Tuesday.
Washington Post
30-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Maryland's Wes Moore says he's not running for president but high-profile stops keep chatter alive
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore , often mentioned among Democrats as a potential presidential candidate , has been saying for months that he isn't running for the White House in 2028. That hasn't stopped persistent talk about his future political plans, especially when he continues to make appearances outside Maryland that raise his national profile. On Friday, he's traveling to speak at the Blue Palmetto Dinner in the early presidential primary state of South Carolina .
