Macedonia’s special prosecutor probes high ranking politicians, as crisis...
On 7 December special prosecutor Katica Janeva, who is tasked with investigating the wiretap scandal that triggered a political crisis in the country, started probing high ranking politicians, while a...
View ArticleLebanon proposed presidential deal faces problems
Talks on the ending of the power vacuum in Lebanon seemed to gain momentum last week when both Iran and Saudi Arabia expressed support to settle an agreement for the presidency crisis. Lebanon has been...
View ArticleSerbia opens first chapters in EU negotiations
On December 14 and 15, Serbia and the EU opened the first two chapters of EU membership negotiations. Serbia became a candidate for EU accession in 2012. Opening negotiations is a major step forward...
View ArticleArmenia to change from presidential to parliamentary system following...
On 13 December, a week after a controversial referendum was held on the change of Armenia’s current presidential to a parliamentary system, the Central Election Commission (CEC) unanimously voted to...
View ArticleKvirikashvili approved as new Prime Minister of Georgia
Last week Georgian Prime Minister Irakly Garibashvili who had been in office since 2013, unexpectedly resigned from his post. He was succeeded by Georgi Kvirikashvili, in a vote supported by the...
View ArticleAlgerian President Bouteflika approves constitutional reforms that limit...
On 5 January the Algerian government presented the draft constitutional reforms, after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika approved these a week earlier. President Bouteflika had promised the amendments to...
View ArticleSerbian oppositions faces threats in run-up to regional elections
Serbia’s opposition Democratic Party (DS), says opposition parties are facing harassment and persecution ahead of the regional elections in Vojvodina. The elections are loosely scheduled for April or...
View ArticleKazakhstan’s Lower House initiates its dissolution, calls for snap elections
On 13 January lawmakers from the three factions in the Mazhilis (Lower House), all loyal to President Nursultan Nazerbayev, initiated a motion to dissolve parliament and hold snap elections, "in...
View ArticleKosovo Foreign Minister Hashim Thaçi put forward as presidency candidate
Kosovo’s governing party, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), has named its leader Hashim Thaçi as its candidate for the presidency. Current president Atifete Jahjaga will finish her term in office...
View ArticleEgypt’s Parliament approves controversial terrorism law
After a three year absence, the Egyptian parliament convened on the 17th of January for the first time and passed a number of controversial laws. The House of Representatives, started its duties Sunday...
View ArticleSerbian PM Vucic calls for early elections
On 17 January Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic called for early local and parliamentary elections in the country. Vucic said his government, in power since 2014, has been held back by opposition...
View ArticleMacedonian Parliament votes to dissolve ahead of April elections
On 18 January the Macedonian Parliament, in the absence of the main opposition Social Democratic Party (SDSM), voted to dissolve Parliament and appointed an interim government. In the same vote...
View ArticleUN backed Libyan unity government unveiled in Tunis
On 19 January Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) was announced by the Tunis-based Libyan Presidency Council. The formation of the government is the outcome of an UN-deal aimed at ending years...
View ArticleGovernment announces measures after five days of protests in Tunisia
The Tunisian government announced on January 20th that it would take measures to create 5000 new jobs, after a protests across the country had been ongoing for five days. The protests were triggered by...
View ArticleMoldovan pro-European government sworn in amid protests
On 20 January Moldova’s government was sworn in, led by Pavel Filip of the Democratic Party (PDM). In a parliamentary session hampered by the Socialists (PSRM), 57 out of 101 MPs approved the...
View ArticleUkraine’s PM calls for referendum on constitutional changes
On 24 January Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk called for a referendum on constitutional changes. These amendments to the constitution are an important part of the implementation of the Minsk...
View ArticleRights Watchdogs: Turkey’s freedom has declined due to media crackdown
In its latest report published on 27 January rights body Freedom House said that the media crackdown in Turkey has led to a decline of political rights and civil liberties. In the past months several...
View ArticleProtests in Montenegro as Parliament debate confidence motion
On 25 January hundreds of people gathered in the capital Podgorica to protest against the government, while watching the debate in the parliament on a big screen. The protest was organized by the...
View ArticleMoroccan parliamentary elections to be held on 7 October this year
On 28 January Morocco’s Minister of Communication and spokesman of the government, Mustapha Khalfi, announced that the parliamentary elections will take place on October 7 this year. Currently, the...
View ArticleUPDATE: Montenegrin Prime Minister survives motion of no-confidence.
On 27 January Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic’s (Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS) government gained just enough votes in the parliament to be able to continue his mandate. Djukanovic himself, who...
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