Germany’s center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) has voted in favor of coalition talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc, paving the way for Europe’s top economy to work for the formation of a new government following months of political impasse.

The SPD, which had initially ruled out governing with Merkel in charge again, narrowly voted for coalition negotiations with her center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on Sunday.

Out of the SPD’s 642 delegates, 372 said ‘Yes’ to talks with the CDU during a special party congress in Bonn.

SPD leader Martin Schulz and the leader of Merkel’s Bavarian allies, Horst Seehofer, are scheduled to meet on Monday, but the full formal talks may start as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.

Schulz, possibly the next foreign minister, tweeted on Sunday that the vote for coalition talks handed him a “duty to fight for all those who had voted against. Let us now concretely improve the lives of people in the country.”

The CDU also expressed satisfaction with the vote, with Saxony Minister President Michael Kretschmer, a CDU member, saying the result “is an approval but it is also clearly showing the disunity of the SPD.”

The coalition talks will likely see Merkel return to power again after the chancellor’s CDU suffered heavy losses to the far-right in last September’s inconclusive election, making her unable to form a government with the Bavarian ally, the Christian Social Union (CSU).

The chancellor was further weakened by the collapse in November of three-way coalition talks with other parties.

She now wants the SPD to agree to a re-run of the “grand coalition” between the two biggest parties that has ruled the nation since 2013. The coalition talks, for now, saved Merkl from risking her position by calling for snap elections.

The chancellor, however, is still far from a done deal. Many Social Democrats still blame her for a poor election result in September and there are many inside the party are opposed to another four years of her chancellorship.

A possible SPD/CDU agreement will form a new German government, but failure in coalition talks would likely put the European Union’s most powerful economy on the path towards repeat elections, which would also put the political future of Merkel to question.

Source: Presstv

Germany’s Social Democratic (SPD) Party is scheduled to hold a meeting on Sunday to decide whether the center-left party should initiate formal coalition talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, a decision that may help pull the European country out of a protracted political limbo.

Some 600 delegates from the SPD and its 45-member board would gather for a make-or-break conference in the western German city of Bonn on Sunday to vote on whether to pursue a coalition deal with Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).

The meeting marks a crucial moment in the four-month effort to establish a new German government and will also be watched closely elsewhere in Europe, where Germany is the largest economy.

The Sunday vote aims to endorse the conditions of a preliminary deal that was struck between SPD leader Martin Schulz and Merkel’s conservative parties earlier this month, which calls for more concessions on labor, health, and migration policies.

The 28-page agreement demands the abolition of Germany’s dual public-private health insurance system in favor of a single citizen’s insurance, scaling back temporary employment contracts and allowing family reunions for asylum seekers suffering unusual hardship.

A negative vote by the SPD would prolong the political deadlock and leave Merkel with the option of either leading an unstable minority government or facing snap polls.

“Social Democrats in all of Europe are looking at this party conference,” Schulz said on Saturday.

In an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, SPD parliamentary leader Andrea Nahles said she expected formal talks to happen, stressing, “I ask everyone in my party to take responsibility: Please consider the consequences if this government option fails.”

A leader of Merkel’s Bavarian CSU sister party also said that a “no” vote would be “a political catastrophe” for Germany.

“I can only appeal to everyone to get it together and help bring about a government,” Horst Seehofer said in a recent interview with Bildnewspaper.

Germany has been in political limbo since elections in September last year, which saw heavy losses for the centrist “grand coalition” that has been ruling the country for the past four years.

Merkel, seeking a fourth term in office, has been looking to form a coalition with the Social Democrats after her center-right bloc lost some support to the far right Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party in the elections and her attempts to form a three-way tie-up with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and the Greens failed.

The two mainstream German parties, the CDU and the SPD, fear that a lack of consensus among them could give the far-right nationalist parties more of a say in German politics as the September general elections clearly showed that they are on the rise.

In her annual New Year’s address, Chancellor Merkel said Germans had rarely been so split over the changes taking place in their society, stressing that she was committed to helping tackle the challenges of the future by working rapidly to build a stable government.

The results of a survey, which was conducted by the Forsa polling company last week, found that 61 percent of SPD voters were in favor of moving on to formal coalition talks. The same poll found that the center-left party would score just 18 percent if elections were held now, below the 20.5 percent garnered in September.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that there are still “big obstacles” in the way of forming a “grand coalition” between her conservatives and the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

Merkel said Thursday in final hours of negotiations between the SPD and her alliance of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party — the Christian Social Union (CSU) — that the two top parties had yet to surmount major differences before they could declare there were common grounds to form another coalition government.

She said her alliance would “work constructively to find the necessary compromises but we are also aware that we need to execute the right policies for our country.”

SPD leader Martin Schulz also talked about “big obstacles” that remained in the way of a final deal between the two parties, although he was upbeat that such an agreement could finally come through.

Schulz said his party and the Merkel-led alliance had “broad agreement on the fundamentals of European policy,” adding that the SPD wanted to gain assurances from Merkel that a new coalition government would be committed to work for the progress of the European Union.

EU policies are among main bones of contention between Merkel and SPD leaders while the two sides also disagree on immigration, social welfare, tax and other issues.

There is also a possibility that SPD’s mid-rank members could manage to block the initiation of coalition talks with the conservatives, a scenario which would leave Merkel with her last option to form a minority government.

Merkel’s failure in reaching a coalition deal with the Greens and the Liberals following the September elections prompted the German president to call on the SPD to revise its previous decision to go into the opposition. However, opinion polls suggest Merkel’s chance of surviving a full fourth term in office is grim as the veteran leader’s approval rating is falling, mainly due to her controversial asylum policies, which many say have helped the rise of the far-right in Germany and fueled the current political limbo.

Source:Presstv

British Prime Minister Theresa May will conduct a Cabinet reshuffle on Monday amid reports that senior ministers are set to be axed.

The reshuffle aims to make May’s government more diverse and youthful in addition to bringing in more women.

She has been forced to make changes following two resignations and one sacking.

Sir Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, resigned in November 2017 amid allegations around his conduct.

One week later, international development secretary Priti Patel quit after a row over unauthorised meetings with Israeli officials.

And in December, first secretary of state Damian Green was sacked over his “misleading statements” about the discovery of pornographic images on his Commons computer during a police raid.

According to sources, except for the Cabinet big beasts, Education Secretary Justine Greening, Business Secretary Greg Clark and Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom are likely to be sacked or demoted.

Chancellor Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Brexit Secretary David Davis and Home Secretary Amber Rudd will stay in place, according to reports.

“Some people have gone as far as they can. It’s a case of the glass ceiling,” a source told The Sun.

A minister added, “Some ministers have been around for years and not going anywhere.

“This reshuffle will show how emboldened she is now. She is unlikely to touch the big beasts but the question is how far will she go below that.”

The changes will also enable May to promote Tory MPs who were elected in 2015.

Source: Presstv

The National Communication Council has imposed sanctions on certain journalists and media houses, Cameroon Concord News has learned.  The TV Channel Vision 4 and its promoter are among those targeted by the Biya regime.

Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga, head of the television was suspended for 2 months while Ernest Obama, Vision 4 star journalist and Sidoine Monkam received a two months suspension order respectively. Their colleague Parfait Ayissi was given a one month ban. To justify the decision, the so-called National Communication Council stated that the media organization breached Cameroon ethics.

We understand Vision 4 news desk has already denounced the decision taken by the NCC. Peter Essoka and his gang noted that the rising television channel is supporting the Southern Cameroons revolution.

The publisher of “Le Tribune de l’Est” was banned indefinitely from practicing the profession in Cameroon while Harrys Mintsa, of “Le Devoir” was suspended for a period of 6 months.

By Sama Ernest

UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn says he is likely to replace Theresa May as the country’s new prime minister sometime in the next 12 months.

In an interview with Grazia magazine published Monday, Corbyn said he expected another general election in 2018, projecting himself as the favorite.

“I will probably win. I’m ready to be prime minister tomorrow,” he asserted. The next general election will be held in 2022.

Latest YouGov popularity poll puts Corbyn slightly behind May 37 percent to 28 percent. However, the Labour leader proved earlier this year that he is well capable of turning the page on his Conservative rival.

When earlier this year May called for a snap general election in June, she was certain that Corbyn stood no chance against her as the two were split by double-digit numbers in almost all polls.

That did not hold the Labour leader back as his party made a huge comeback and won enough number of parliamentary seats to strip the Tories from their majority and forced May to strike an embarrassing deal with the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party to form her new government.

From there, it has all been downhill for May, who is facing a Tory rebellion over Brexit in the parliament. Her cabinet also seems divided over the issue.

Corbyn, who campaigned against Britain’s divorce from the European Union (EU) in last year’s referendum, said the vote that saw 52 percent of Britons favor Brexit “was the largest participation of people in an electoral process ever in Britain” and the outcome had to be respected.

Having held his own meetings with EU officials about Brexit, Corbyn said May’s government needed to secure a transition deal for the process to prevent a “mess” by the March 2019 deadline.

“I think we should continue putting pressure on the Government to allow a transition period to develop, because at the moment we’re in danger of getting into a complete mess in March 2019.”

Source: Presstv

Opposition lawmakers in Albania have thrown smoke bombs inside parliament to disrupt a session for the appointment of an interim prosecutor general, which they said was unconstitutional.

Albanian opposition MPs on Monday threw smoke grenades into the parliament chamber to protest the election of Arta Marku with 69 votes out of 76 by the ruling Socialist Party.

The move to stop the election, however, was in vain as Marku was eventually sworn in as temporary prosecutor general.

Opposition legislators claimed that parliament was not entitled to elect an interim prosecutor general and should wait for the creation of a permanent commission to do that.

They also argued that a prosecutor should be installed once some 800 judges and prosecutors are vetted and elected with three-fifths of votes in parliament.

Rightwing opposition leader Lulzim Basha censured socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama before the Monday parliament session for appointing a “puppet” to follow his commands.

Basha said Marku’s appointment “is a constitutional violation and can lead to the destabilization of the country.”

During his speech in parliament, Basha also warned the Albanian prime minister against a constitutional “putsch” in an effort to protect corrupt officials, including his former interior minister.

“You have decided to violate the Constitution to protect your wealth. This is the last moment that I ask you in the name of the Constitution to withdraw. This is the command of the people. Obey it or face the consequences,” the opposition leader said.

While the 41-year-old prosecutor general was taking oath of office in front of the Albanian lawmakers, several thousand activists and supporters of opposition parties Democratic Party (DP) and Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI) were protesting outside the cordoned-off parliament building.

Albanian police clashed with opposition supporters trying to force their way into the building, with local media reporting that a number of people had been injured.

Marku is due to fill the vacant position of prosecutor general for the next two or three months until a new prosecution high council has been created.

Marku’s appointment is supported by the European Union and the US, as the move paves the way for judicial reforms needed for the country’s bid to launch EU membership negotiations.

Albania was granted EU candidate status in 2014 and hopes to launch negotiations next year.

Source: Presstv

More than half of the British people now want to stay in the European Union, according to a new poll that shows “Remainers” outnumbering “Leavers” by ten percentage points.

While 51 percent of Britons prefer to keep European Union membership, 41 percent want to leave the bloc, according to the BMG Research poll of 1,400 people conducted for The Independent.

According to The Independent, the lead for “Remain” over “Leave” was the biggest in any poll so far since the Brexit referendum in June 2016.

However, BMG Research head of polling cited a shift in opinion among those who chose not to vote last year as the reason for the change.

“The last time Leave polled ahead of Remain was in February 2017, and since then there has been a slow shift in top-line public opinion in favor of remaining in the EU,” said Michael Turner.

“However, readers should note that digging deeper into the data reveals that this shift has come predominantly from those who did not actually vote in the 2016 referendum, with around nine in ten Leave and Remain voters still unchanged in their view,” Turner added.

This comes as EU President Donald Tusk said EU leaders approved the opening of the next stage of Brexit talks Friday after reaching a deal on divorce terms with Britain.

At a meeting in Brussels, members of the bloc said there has been enough progress on key issues. The next phase will involve discussions over future relations and trade ties between the UK and the EU.

Negotiations on the transition period will resume in January.

But talks on trade will not begin until March as EU members need more clarity on the UK’s post-Brexit plans.

British Prime Minister Theresa May signed the divorce deal with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on December 8 after months of negotiations. The deal covers Britain’s exit bill, the future of the Irish border and the rights of EU expatriates in the UK.

Source: Presstv

The government of British Prime Minster Theresa May has suffered a fresh blow as lawmakers voted to force changes in London’s Brexit plans, giving Parliament a legal guarantee of a vote on the final Brexit deal struck with Brussels.

May was narrowly defeated in a key vote on its Brexit bill after a rebellion by 11 Tory MPs on Wednesday. Despite a last-minute attempt to offer minor concessions in the Commons, the amendment to the bill was backed by 309 to 305 as the Conservative rebels said it was too little too late.

Amendment 7 to Clause 9 was tabled by May’s own Conservative MP Dominic Grieve, who leads a faction of “rebels” within the party. The changes call for parliament to have a meaningful vote on any Brexit deal before it is finalized and written into law.

Several lawmakers from the prime minister’s governing Conservative Party sided with the opposition to insist that any withdrawal deal with the EU requires an Act of Parliament to take effect — essentially giving lawmakers a veto on Brexit.

The government argues that the changes could endanger the chances of delivering a smooth departure from the European Union, noting however that the “minor setback” would not prevent the UK leaving the EU in 2019.

Earlier on Wednesday, European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said there will be “no turning back” for Britain on commitments made during an initial divorce deal between the two.

10-Downing Street expressed disappointment with the vote, with opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn calling it “a humiliating loss of authority” for the government.

Stephen Hammond, one of the Conservative MPs who voted against the government, was sacked as Conservative vice chairman in the aftermath of the vote. “Tonight I put country and constituency before party and voted with my principles to give Parliament a meaningful vote,” he tweeted.

The setback comes nearly five months after May’s conservative Party lost its majority in the 650-seat parliament following snap elections.

Sir Desmond Swayne told the Commons that the amendments are simply aimed at delaying Brexit, dismissing them as “sanctimonious guff” and their Conservative backers as “idiots,” and Senior Tory Bernard Jenkin said, “To dress this attempt to reverse Brexit as an argument in favor of parliamentary sovereignty is nothing but cant.”

The European Parliament’s chief Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt tweeted, “British Parliament takes back control. European and British Parliament together will decide on the final agreement. Interests of the citizens will prevail over narrow party politics. A good day for democracy.”

EU leaders will hold a two-day summit as of Thursday during which they are scheduled to agree that there has been “sufficient progress” for the talks to move to the second phase of future relations and trade, a subject London wants to open as soon as possible.

Following the vote, May was on her way to Brussels to push European leaders to begin discussing the EU’s future trade deal with Britain.

A leaked draft of a text to be considered by the EU 27 leaders on Friday suggests that trade talks may not start until after a subsequent summit in March.

Britain is due to leave the bloc in March 2019, but a Brexit deal will have to be agreed by the fall of 2018 to give national parliaments time to approve it.

Source: Presstv

Britain and the EU reached a historic deal on Friday on the terms of the Brexit divorce after Prime Minister Theresa May rushed to Brussels for early morning talks.

The European Commission said it “recommends sufficient progress” had been made by Britain on separation issues including the Irish border, Britain’s divorce bill, and citizens rights.

The agreement paves the way for EU leaders at a summit on December 14-15 to open the second phase of Brexit negotiations, covering trade talks and a transition period.

Britain voted in June 2016 to become the first state to leave the EU, after more than four decades of membership, but the talks have been slow moving and often acrimonious so far.

“The Commission is satisfied that sufficient progress has been achieved in each of the three priority areas,” the European Commission said in a statement.

Negotiators worked through the night to seal an agreement on the terms of Britain’s departure from the bloc.

The EU had set a deadline of Sunday after the last talks on Monday broke down when May’s Northern Irish allies objected to terms for future arrangements for the Irish border.

Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker’s chief of staff Martin Selmayr tweeted a picture of white smoke — the sign used by the Vatican to signify the election of a new pope — shortly after May’s arrival.

Juncker spoke first with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar then with May on Thursday night in a bid to break a deadlock over the wording of a deal on future arrangements for the Irish border.

Border quandary

Britain agreed to pay a divorce settlement amounting to between 45 and 55 billion euros and to protect the rights of some three million European citizens living there after Brexit as part of the deal.

But Ireland’s demands that Brexit should not lead to the return of checkpoints on the border with Northern Ireland, which it said could jeopardise the peace process in the north, proved the biggest stumbling block at the end.

“In Northern Ireland we guarantee there will be no hard border,” May told a press conference with Juncker.

The pro-British DUP party which props up May’s government refused Monday’s draft deal over a phrase suggesting there would be “regulatory alignment” with the EU after Brexit — effectively putting Northern Ireland under EU law.

DUP leader Arlene Foster told Sky News there had now been changes following talks with May.

“We’re pleased to see those changes because for me it means there’s no red line down the Irish Sea and we have the very clear confirmation that the entirety of the United Kingdom is leaving the European union, leaving the single market, leaving the customs union,” she said.

On Thursday, EU Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas had dismissed British newspaper reports that the Sunday deadline could be extended into next week as “not correct”.

‘Totally and utterly incompetent’ 

Scotland’s nationalist leader showed little patience, accusing the British government of being “totally and utterly incompetent” on Brexit.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said “the real lesson” of the past week was that Scotland “will always be at the mercy of reckless decisions taken by Tory governments at Westminster” unless it becomes independent.

“The sooner we are in control over our own future here in Scotland the better, and this week has proved it,” she added.

Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem offered some calming words, saying Britain’s City of London financial hub “will not fall apart” after Brexit even if it loses the right to allow banks to trade freely across the bloc.

Dijsselbloem, the Netherlands finance minister who chairs meetings of his counterparts in the 19-country eurozone, said that some businesses would nevertheless have to relocate.

“I don’t believe that the City will fall apart and that everyone will flee. I don’t think that’s how it’s going to work,” he told a European Parliament committee.

His reassurances come at a time when Britain’s finance sector is anxious about losing the “passporting” rights which allow large international banks to trade throughout the EU while being based in Britain.

(Source: AFP)