German Chancellor Angela Merkel has dismissed a report claiming she has concluded the new leader of her center-right party isn't up to leading the country.
Merkel handed over the leadership of her Christian Democratic Union to Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in December and said she wouldn't seek a fifth term as chancellor. Her Union bloc hasn't made up ground in polls, though, and in Sunday's European Parliament election had its worst result in a nationwide vote since World War II.
Kramp-Karrenbauer hasn't had an easy start, recently heading a flat-footed response to a YouTuber's pre-election rant against the CDU. On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported, citing two unidentified officials, that Merkel has decided Kramp-Karrenbauer isn't up to Germany's top job.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, arrives for a dinner meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Tuesday, May 28, 2019. European Union leaders are meeting in Brussels to haggle over who should lead the 28-nation bloc's key institutions for the next five years after weekend elections shook up Europe's political landscape. (AP PhotoFrancisco Seco, Pool)
Asked about that late Tuesday, Merkel replied: "I can only say that is nonsense."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting of the German government at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, May 29, 2019. (AP PhotoMarkus Schreiber)
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to outline his vision for Europe to become a more assertive global power against a backdrop of war in Ukraine and other security and economic challenges, in a speech on Thursday ahead of pivotal European Parliament elections in June.
The French president plans to focus on strategic and geopolitical issues in Europe, including defense, the economy, protecting the environment and safeguarding democracy, his advisers said. Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its third year, is expected to be the main theme of the speech Macron will deliver at Paris’ Sorbonne University on Thursday.
France has been an firm supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, and Macron has often clashed with other Western leaders as he has insisted that Europe must stand by the country at any cost. Last month, the French president alarmed European leaders by saying that sending Western troops into Ukraine to shore up its defenses shouldn’t be ruled out.
Macron, a staunch European, is also expected to rally support for his centrist Renaissance party ahead of the June 6-9 elections for the European Parliament. The French president lost his majority in France’s most influential house of parliament, the National Assembly, after the 2022 election to the far-left coalition and the far-right National Rally party.
The social situation in France remains tense as Paris prepares to host the Olympic Games this summer, amid protests from teachers, police officers, and farmers in recent weeks. The protests follow huge demonstrations last year against Macron’s ultimately successful proposal to rise the retirement age.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 18, 2024. European Union leaders on Wednesday debated a new "European Competitiveness Deal" aimed at helping the 27-nation bloc close the gap with Chinese and American rivals amid fears the region's industries will otherwise be left behind for good. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
