World News For All: Europe

Showing posts with label Europe. Show all posts

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Austria presidential vote: Run-off rivals face dead heat

Norbert Hofer (left) is up against Alexander Van der Bellen, who has the support of the Greens

The far-right and independent candidates in Austria's presidential run-off face a dead heat, a public TV projection suggests.

Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party and Alexander Van der Bellen are each on 50%, according to the estimate, which includes postal votes not yet counted.

Official figures from Sunday's ballot give Mr Hofer a lead of 3.8% but do not include postal voting.

The final official results will not be known until Monday.

For the first time since World War Two, both the main centrist parties were knocked out in the first round.

A key issue in the campaign was Europe's migrant crisis, which has seen asylum-seeker numbers soar.

About 90,000 people claimed asylum in Austria last year, equivalent to about 1% of the Austrian population, and the Freedom Party ran an anti-immigration campaign.

The presidency is a largely ceremonial post, but a victory for Mr Hofer could be the springboard for Freedom Party success in the next parliamentary elections, scheduled for 2018.

The presidents of the European Commission and the European Parliament, Jean-Claude Juncker and Martin Schulz, have both expressed concern over a Hofer victory.

A country divided: Bethany Bell, BBC News, Vienna

Austria is split. The soft-spoken, charismatic Mr Hofer, sometimes described as a wolf in sheep's clothing, caused turmoil in Austrian politics when he won a clear victory in the first round of voting in April.

But now his rival, Mr Van der Bellen from the Greens, has caught up. The far right has profited from deep frustration with the established parties of the centre left and the centre right in Austria. And in recent months, it has been boosted further by fears about the migrant crisis.

The president is a largely ceremonial figure but does have the power to dismiss the government. Mr Hofer has threatened to do so if the ruling coalition does not take swift action on the migrant crisis.

If he wins, it could have an impact far beyond Austria's borders - possibly giving momentum to far-right and Eurosceptic parties in other EU countries.

Is Europe lurching to the far right?

Europe's nationalist surge, country by country

According to the interior ministry's final count of votes cast at polling-stations(in German), Mr Hofer took 51.9% to 48.1% for Mr Van der Bellen.

But ORF public TV's projection (in German), which is usually considered reliable, has both men on 50%.

Postal voting accounts for some 900,000 ballots, or 14% of eligible voters.

"None of us wished for this," Mr Hofer told ORF.

"After all, both of us wanted to have a good night's sleep but it is so exciting. I've been in politics for a long time but I've never experienced an election night like this one."

Whoever won, he said, would have "the job of uniting Austria".

In the first round, Mr Hofer secured 35% of the votes, while Mr Van der Bellen polled 21%.

The two rivals had engaged in an angry TV debate earlier in the week, described as "political mud-wrestling" by commentators.

Vying to lead Austria

Norbert Hofer

Age: 45
Background: Aeronautical engineer
Politics: Far-right Freedom Party
Campaign soundbite: "To those in Austria who go to war for the Islamic State or rape women - I say to those people: 'This is not your home'"

Alexander Van der Bellen

Age: 72
Background: Economics professor
Politics: Former Green Party leader
Campaign soundbite: "I've experienced how Austria rose from the ruins of World War Two, caused by the madness of nationalism."

Political upset

Such was the political shock at the far right's first-round win that the Chancellor (prime minister), Werner Faymann, resigned after losing the support of his Social Democratic party colleagues.

The Social Democrats and the People's Party have governed Austria for decades, either alone or in coalition.

At the last general election in 2013, they together won just enough votes to govern in a "grand coalition".

Incumbent President Heinz Fischer, 77, could not run again after two terms in office.

Rise of nationalists in Europe - graphic

Spain toxic tyre dump at Sesena forces mass evacuation

Unknown10:17:00 AMEurope No comments

The dump at Sesena, a town where 20,000 people live, is thought to be the largest in Europe. It stretches over 25 acres (10,000 sq metres).

People living near a "toxic cloud" from a burning tyre dump in Spain have been told to leave their homes.

Local officials ordered the evacuation of the Quinon de Sesena area, where 9,000 people live, saying human health may be at risk.

However, many residents have already left their homes and it is thought that just 1,000 people are still there.

Investigators believe the fire was started deliberately in the early hours of Friday morning.

Emergency services were called to the town of Sesena, 35 km (22 miles) south of Madrid, at 01:00 local time (23:00 GMT on Thursday).

They sent 10 teams of fire-fighters, who have battled the blaze all day.

An official at Madrid's firefighting department said about a fifth of the dump was affected.

Some schools stayed closed for the day. There are no reports of any injuries.

The Castillo La Mancha government said it is unlikely wind will disperse the smoke from the fire.

The emergency services declared an alert and used helicopters to douse the flames with water.

The smoke pillar was visible for miles away - this photograph was taken from a cathedral in the capital Madrid

Drivers on roads nearby have been told to keep their car windows up as the smoke may damage their health.

Flight departures and arrivals at Madrid airport have not been affected.

In 2015 The Guardian newspaper reported that local government authorities were searching for a company to shred and recycle 90,000 tonnes (99,000 tons) of tyres that had been dumped there.

The regional government said it was a "toxic cloud" and could affect part of the town.

The local government of Castilla La Mancha province, where half of the sprawling dump is situated, opened an information phone line for people concerned about the fire.

French labour reform bill - main points

The 35-hour week remains in place, but as an average. Firms can negotiate with local trade unions on more or fewer hours from week to week, up to a maximum of 46 hours
Firms are given greater freedom to reduce pay
The law eases conditions for laying off workers, strongly regulated in France. It is hoped companies will take on more people if they know they can shed jobs in case of a downturn
Employers given more leeway to negotiate holidays and special leave, such as maternity or for getting married. These are currently also heavily regulated

Busting the myth of France's 35-hour working week

Mr Valls was booed by MPs from the far left and the conservative opposition when he announced the cabinet's decision to the National Assembly.

"This text, useful for businesses and for workers, faces, I regret, opposition from all sides," he said.

"My responsibility is to move forward and ensure that this text is adopted."

The BBC's Lucy Williamson in Paris says the bill, known as the Khomri law after Labour Minister Mariam El Khomri, has forced a wedge between the governing Socialist party and its left-wing supporters.

The government says relaxing workers' protection will encourage businesses to hire more people and help to combat chronic unemployment.

The proposed reforms have triggered protests across France

Activists from Nuit Debout (Up All Night) called for a protest outside the National Assembly on Tuesday

President Francois Hollande has said that he will only consider running for re-election next year if he can bring down the jobless rate, which is more than 10%.

The decision to invoke article 49.3 was made after the government failed to reach a compromise on the bill with MPs.

A group of rebels within the Socialist party has refused to support the reforms.

The only way the bill can now be stopped is by a motion of censure - effectively a vote of no confidence - in parliament within 24 hours, a move which would bring down the government.

Correspondents say such action is highly unlikely.

'Not in my interest'

Dubbed "The Nose", 55-year-old Holleeder was already in custody facing murder and attempted murder charges, as well as belonging to a criminal organisation.

He was arrested in his cell in April over the alleged plot to kill his sisters after a tip-off from a fellow prisoner, prosecutors said.

"Holleeder allegedly already paid money and promised more, should his plans indeed be carried out," they added.

Appearing in court on Tuesday, Holleeder denied he had plans to kill his sisters and Mr de Vries.

"It's absolutely not in my interest that anything happens to them," he said.

'Revenge'

When his sisters testified against him in a murder case last year, one of them said she was signing her death warrant.

Astrid Holleeder told the Dutch newspaper NRC she had hoped she would be safe after his arrest in 2014. But instinctively she knew he would not leave them alone.

"He doesn't tolerate opposition", she told the paper. "Willem wants revenge."

Crime journalist Peter de Vries, who wrote a best-selling book about the Heineken kidnapping, also suspects revenge as the motive: "He's let it be known several times that he's after me," he said.

Holleeder became a household name in the Netherlands for his role in the abduction of beer magnate Freddy Heineken and his driver more than three decades ago.

The two were released unharmed after a large ransom was paid.

Holleeder was sentenced to 11 years for the kidnapping, which became one of the country's best-known crime sagas and was turned into a movie last year.

He was arrested again in 2006 for extortion against two men who were later found dead, and released in 2012 after serving two thirds of his sentence.

He became a minor celebrity until he was re-arrested in December 2014, even appearing on TV and posing for pictures with fans on Amsterdam's beer terraces.

'Vicious cycle'

The IMF and other European partners are demanding Greece implement further austerity measures to generate an extra €4bn (£3.1bn) in savings - contingency money in case Greece misses future budget targets.

"A deal needs to address three issues: reforms - we are there - the contingency mechanism - we are almost there - and the debt issue - we are starting the discussion," said European Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Pierre Moscovici, as he arrived for the Brussels talks.

The debate in Greece's parliament on the reforms lasted for two days and protesters clashed with police in Athens in the lead up to the vote early on Monday.

Three days of a general strike also paralysed public transport and slowed the public sector.

Greek trade unions say the country cannot bear another round of austerity measures.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said it was time to end the "vicious cycle" of cuts and to start talks with the eurozone on debt relief.

"We have an important opportunity before us for the country to break this vicious cycle, and enter a virtuous cycle," he told MPs.

Mr Tsipras was elected as prime minister on an anti-austerity ticket but later signed up to Greece's third international bailout since 2010.