#parliamentary-elections

#parliamentary-elections

Hungary's parliament on Monday approved Finland's bid to join NATO, putting an end to months of delays and bringing the Nordic country one step closer to becoming a full member of the Western military alliance.The measure, passed with 182 votes for and six against, came after Hungary's government had for months frustrated allies in NATO and the European Union by repeatedly postponing the vote after nearly all other alliance members ratified Finland's bid.

The two leaders spoke prior to the inauguration of the Akkuyu plant, Turkey's first nuclear power reactor.Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have held talks by telephone, their offices said, before the two countries marked the inauguration of Turkey's first nuclear power reactor.

Millions of Turkish citizens living abroad began voting Thursday in national elections that will decide whether President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can govern Turkey for another term.The overseas balloting began amid concerns over Erdogan's health, after he was forced to cancel election rallies on Wednesday and Thursday.

Turkish nationals living in Germany started casting their votes for Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections on Thursday.The elections, with the first round of voting on May 14 in Turkey, pose what some observers say is the toughest test so far for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been in power for 20 years.

ISTANBUL A coalition of parties seeking to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey anointed a veteran opposition politician on Monday as its presidential candidate just two months before elections that could drastically alter the country's political and economic trajectory.The candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the head of Turkey's largest opposition party, represents diverse political forces that have vowed to reverse what they call Mr. Erdogan's erosion of democracy as he has consolidated power during two decades as the country's paramount politician.

A Pakistani court has shielded former prime minister Imran Khan from arrest until at least next week.t comes amid a roiling political crisis that has pitted the celebrity politician against the current government and spilled over into street protests.Mr Khan was ousted through a confidence vote in Parliament last April.

On Monday French prime minister Elisabeth Borne faces at least one vote of no confidence, following the decision of the French government to push through highly controversial pension reforms without allowing MPs a vote using a constitutional process known as Article 49.3.Here's what will happen on Monday and what it all means.

Finland and Sweden jointly applied for membership, but Ankara has so far backed only Helsinki's bid.President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey will ratify Finland's NATO membership, paving the way for the country to join the military bloc ahead of Sweden.Erdogan announced the decision on Friday after meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Ankara.

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visited Moldova's capital Thursday, where he is set to pledge 10 million pounds ($12.5 million) in financial aid to help the small, embattled country tackle what his office called malign interference from Russia.

Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto speaks during a news conference at the Parliament building in Helsinki, Finland, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023.Finland's top diplomat appears to have suggested that the country may have to join NATO without Sweden, after Turkey's president cast doubt on expansion of the military alliance.

ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is meeting his Finnish counterpart in Ankara on Friday, raising hopes that the talks will lead to Turkey's approval of Finland's NATO membership bid.Despite the rain, Finland's President Sauli Niinisto and Erdogan reviewed military honor guard at the presidential palace in the Turkish capital's Bestepe district.

What's happening?Eight of France's largest unions have issued a joint statement promising strikes and demonstrations from January if the government pushes ahead with plans to reform the French pension system  including raising the pension age from 62 to 65.The groups had already fired a warning shot' in September with a day of protests and walk-outs.

FILE -- People look at a site damaged by Turkish airstrikes that hit an electricity station in the village of Taql Baql, in Hasakeh province, Syria, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022.Turkish airstrikes on northern Syria over the weekend that killed and wounded a number of Syrian soldiers could pose a setback to the recent move toward a rapprochement between the two countries after 11 years of tension and hostility.

When NATO invited Sweden and Finland into the military alliance in June, its leaders hailed a "historic decision" that showed their collective determination to face down Russian aggression in Ukraine.But the expansion plan has gone nowhere, with Turkey refusing to allow Sweden to join unless it does more to crack down on groups outlawed in Turkey, including the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the PKK.

Ankara announced its decision one day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at Sweden for allowing weekend protests that included the burning of the Koran outside Ankara's Stockholm embassy.A Turkish diplomatic source said the tri-party meeting has been pushed back from February to a later date, without providing any details.

Sweden does not 'exclude' sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, said Defence Minister Pal Jonsson.Published: 26 January 2023 07:34 CET His comments come after Germany gave the greenlight for them to be given to Kyiv.Following weeks of pressure from Ukraine and other allies, Berlin finally agreed to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks, seen as among the best in the world.

Sweden does not 'exclude' sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, said Defence Minister Pal Jonsson.Published: 26 January 2023 07:34 CET His comments come after Germany gave the greenlight for them to be given to Kyiv.Following weeks of pressure from Ukraine and other allies, Berlin finally agreed to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks, seen as among the best in the world.

FILE - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives for a ceremony, in Ankara, Turkey, on May 16, 2022.Even by the standards of Turkey's and Greece's frequently strained relations, it was a remarkable escalation.Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan directly threatened his country's western neighbor: Unless the Greeks "stay calm," he said, Turkey's new ballistic missiles would hit their capital city.

The former prime minister arrived by helicopter in Rawalpindi, where he announced his party is discussing the possibility of resigning from all provincial assemblies so that they can push for an early election.Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed big crowds at a political rally Saturday for the first time since being wounded earlier this month while leading a march toward capital city, Islamabad.

12 minutes ago12 minutes ago The former prime minister is again gathering his supporters, despite authorities warning of security threats.Since his ouster, Khan has led rallies calling for new elections.Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to address his supporters at a rally Saturday for the first time since being wounded earlier this month while leading a march toward capital city, Islamabad.