Les Républicains leader says he wants alliance with France’s far-right National Rally – Europe live | European elections

Away from France the four parties negotiating to form a coalition government in the Netherlands have reached agreement on a new team of cabinet ministers, far-right leader Geert Wilders said Tuesday.

It’s another key step toward forming the first Dutch government led by a far-right party, Associated Press reports.

Wilders, whose Party for Freedom won national elections more than six months ago, did not immediately give details.

“There is a deal, you’ll hear more in the coming hours, days,” Wilders told reporters in The Hague.

The team of ministers will be made up of members of the four parties in the coalition and outside experts — a so-called technocratic administration.

Prospective ministers will have to undergo interviews in the lower house of parliament before the new government can be sworn in by Dutch King Willem-Alexander. No dates were immediately set.

Anti-Islam lawmaker Wilders convincingly won the November election but took months to cobble together an outline coalition deal. Wilders, a divisive figure who has in the past been convicted of insulting Moroccans, agreed not to become prime minister because of opposition from coalition partners.

Former intelligence agency chief Dick Schoof was named last week as the candidate to replace the outgoing prime minister, Mark Rutte.

Wilders is building a coalition with Rutte’s centre-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, the populist Farmer Citizen Movement and the centrist New Social Contract party.

A deal published by the parties outlining their policy objectives pledges to introduce strict measures on asylum-seekers, scrap family reunification for refugees and reduce the number of international students studying in the country.

Analysts and some civil servants have questioned whether some of the policies are legally or constitutionally possible to enact.

Kim Willsher

The far-right National Rally’s Marine Le Pen has congratulated the Republicans’ Eric Ciotti’s “brave choice”.

Ciotti said he wants an alliance between the National Rally and Republicans.

He said it’s a “personal line” and LR is too weak to form a bloc against the left and Macron alone.

“I believe that the country has never been so right-wing. It expects the right, it expects right-wing action. We can no longer rely on impotence, on communication, on a form of immobilism that has led us to where we are now,” he said.

Macron says he is ‘out to win’ snap election

Kim Willsher

Le Figaro has published an “exclusive” interview with Emmanuel Macron conducted in his plane on returning from commemorations of the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre.

Macron said he was “out to win” the snap general election and denied accusations his decision to dissolve parliament was madness.

“Not at all. I’m only thinking of France. It was a good decision and in the country’s interest. I say to the French, don’t be afraid, go and vote,” the paper quotes him saying.

“This is the spirit of our institutions: I have listened to the French people. Now is the time for clarification. Dissolution is the clearest, most radical and strongest gesture. A gesture of great confidence in the French people. have created an interim election to clarify the situation. “

He told Le Figaro he did not think the far-right could repeat its European success in a domestic election.

“Politics is a dynamic. I’ve never believed in opinion polls. The decision I’ve taken opens up a new era. A new campaign is beginning and we mustn’t look at the scores per constituency by the yardstick of those at the European elections.

“The President must commit himself, it’s his correct place: the future of the Republic, the institutions, the country and Europe are at stake.”

He added his position as president was not threatened, despite suggestions that the far-right National Rally will call for his resignation if it wins the general election.

“It’s not the RN that writes the Constitution, or the spirit of it. The institutions are clear, and so is the President’s place, whatever the result,” Macron said.

Eric Ciotti, leader of Les Républicains in France, has said he wants an alliance with the far-right National Rally.

Jennifer Rankin

European parliament leaders meeting in Brussels have discussed the election results and next steps in electing a European Commission president.

The European parliament president, Roberta Metsola, talked over the results and timetable with the leaders of the assembly’s seven political groups: the centre-right European People’s party, the socialists, liberals, greens, radical left, nationalist eurosceptics and the far-right.

But they did not set a date for the election of the new European commission president, although it is widely expected that Ursula von der Leyen will be put to the vote on 18 July, the first week of the new parliament.

Von der Leyen, the incumbent, needs to secure the support of 361 of 720 MEPs to secure her return to the commission presidency.

Parliament insiders say they cannot set a date until von der Leyen – or someone else – is formally nominated by EU leaders, who are expected to take a decision at a summit on 27-28 June. In the case of von der Leyen getting the nomination, the parliament will wait on her to tell them that she has the votes.

“We can agree that it’s much better to have the vote in July,” said one EP official, adding: “the date cannot overtake the interest of having a result.”

Ashifa Kassam

Hours after parties on the populist right made gains in the European elections, a Spanish minister from the country’s Socialist party has sought to highlight the often-overlooked facts about migration.

“The presence of migrants in Spain is essential,” Elma Saiz, the country’s minister of inclusion, social security and migration, told reporters on Monday evening.

She continued:

And beyond false prejudices, foreigners have a clearly positive balance when it comes to supporting our public system. 10% of payments to social security come from migrants, while they represent just 1% of the expenditure.

This year saw Spain’s birth rate plunge to its lowest level since recordkeeping began in 1941 with 1.19 live births per woman – the second lowest rate in the EU and far below the EU average of 1.53.

“Considering the demographic trends of our society, the presence of migrants is essential,” Saiz added. Pointing to estimates from the IMF, United Nations and the European commission, she added: “Spain needs around 200,000 –250,000 workers per year until 2050 to sustain its social welfare state.”

Lisa O’Carroll

Seán Kelly, Ireland’s veteran MEP has been re-elected, yielding the country the first result since Sunday’s European elections.

The country was the only one of 27 which did not provide an exit poll or any national estimate of polling, which took place last Friday.

As a member of the Fine Gael party, Kelly’s re-election brings the number of European People’s Party MEPs to 186 so far.

“It’s a very special moment to be elected. Topping the poll and elected on the first count is something I hadn’t experienced before,” Kelly said.

It could be days before the names of other MEPs are known with proportional representation involving multiple and time-consuming transfers of ranked votes as candidates pass the quotas set in each of the three constituencies.

Kelly easily won in Ireland South exceeding the quota of 114,761 by just over 8,000.

In Dublin no candidate hit the quota but with Barry Andrews (Fianna Fáil/Renew) and Regina Doherty (Fine Gael/EPP) leading the four-seat constituency.

Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan looks set to take the third seat with five or six in contention for the last seat.

They include Clare Daly, the outspoken independent/Left MEP who was endorsed by celebrities Susan Sarandon and Annie Lennox, and became globally known through her strong stance on Palestine and Ciarán Cuffe, (Greens) another incumbent.

Kim Willsher

The ink is barely dry on reports there is a left-wing alliance, when Raphaël Glucksmann has said there is no formal agreement as yet and he rules out one with La France Insoumise.

The right is also tearing itself apart: Eric Ciotti, head of the Republicans, is reported to be considering an alliance with far right National Rally. This has caused outrage among other notables and threatens to tear the opposition right apart.

This implosion of moderate right and left can only benefit the National Rally.