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France - and the broader community of European countries - are still reeling from the extraordinary political gamble taken by President Emmanuele Macron in dissolving the French parliament and calling a snap election. His decision was triggered by European parliamentary election results which showed Macron’s centrist alliance being trounced by the far right movement led by Marine Le Pen. Julien Robin answers key questions on the implications of Macron’s move.
The European parliamentary poll didn’t produce the rightwing landslide some had predicted As George Newth explains, the results show a fragile centre holding - just - amid a shift to the right that nevertheless carries significant potential to shape the near future of the EU.
In South Africa, the African National Congress (ANC), which a week ago failed to win a majority of seats in parliament, is seeking what it has termed a government of national unity. Joleen Steyn Kotze names the five parties that should be part of it, and sets out what they stand for.
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Julien Robin, Université de Montréal
Julien Robin, a specialist in French parliamentary life, looks at what the surprise dissolution means for French politics.
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George Newth, University of Bath
Italy’s prime minister won big in the European elections, leveraging her campaign to bring her exclusionary politics into the mainstream.
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Joleen Steyn Kotze, University of the Free State
Political parties must show ideological flexibility to foster stability and drive South Africa towards prosperity through creative policy solutions.
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Vandinika Shukla, Harvard Kennedy School; Bruce Schneier, Harvard Kennedy School
Campaigns used deepfakes to connect with voters rather than deception, and AI also helped them break through language barriers.
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James Wintrup, Chr. Michelsen Institute
Medical volunteering can damage important relationships between health professionals and patients.
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Parveen Akhtar, Aston University
The effort to get Muslims voting for independents won’t cost Keir Starmer the election – but is that all that matters?
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Kate Ferry-Swainson, Royal Holloway University of London
On the trail of Convoy 31000 – the only transport to Auschwitz-Birkenau that was made up entirely of women deported from France for political activities.
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Sherry Seethaler, University of California, San Diego
Research reveals lots of reasons why well-meaning attempts to inform, persuade or correct misinformation go awry. It also identifies ways to avoid these communication backfires.
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Trevon Logan, The Ohio State University
Human bondage was big business in the antebellum US, and men weren’t the only ones cashing in.
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Joel Gray, Sheffield Hallam University
Within a few years of his debut appearance in 1934, Donald Duck had already achieved a celebrity status comparable to Shirley Temple or Greta Garbo.
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