Headlines indicate it was quite the week in Europe, the Prime Minister of Hungary survived a vote of confidence in the Hungarian Parliament. The Coalition Party currently in power in Latvia won a slight majority in general elections. Russia refused European Union requests for an end to economic sanctions against Georgia. France and Iran proposed the creation of a consortium that would allow Iranian uranium to be enriched in France. As if that weren’t enough, the extreme-right Flemish Interest Party made gains against the ruling Liberal Democrats in Belgium.
Problems began for Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurscany several weeks ago when a recording was leaked in which he admitted lying to the electorate about the state of the economy in order to win the election back in April. The tape caused mass rioting and protest in the capital, which eventually led to calls for a vote of confidence. The vote took place on October 6, and Gyurscany came out on top. Rueters reported that he received a vote of 207 to 165. The Prime Minister leads a socialist coalition and faces opposition mainly from center-right coalition groups. This situation is a prime example of how interest groups and parties exist and interact in Hungary, and the effect that this has on political culture which can mean problems for unification.
Latvia’s ruling three-party coalition narrowly hung on to a majority in the Parliament last week. CNN reported that it was “the first time in Latvia that a sitting government has maintained its grip on power since the country broke away from the Soviet Union in 1991” demonstrating how difficult it can be to form a coalition encompassing similar interests and yet still retain power. Political instability on the national level means certain instability regarding the European unification process.
Russia refused European Union requests to lift the economic sanctions that it has in place against Georgia. Russia argues that they are needed in order to halt what they see as a military build up by the Georgians. The sanctions are seen as a response to the arrest of four Russian soldiers accused of spying in Georgia.
France and Iran are working on a deal that would allow Iranian uranium to be enriched in France, in an attempt to quell rising tensions in the global community over Iran’s supposed nuclear ambitions. France relies on nuclear power for most of its electricity production, and has been vocal in its opposition to an Iranian nuclear program that could lead to a nuclear arsenal. Belgium’s ruling Liberal Democrat party suffered setbacks in local elections, which meant gains for the right-wing Flemmish Interest party. The liberal Democrat Party is a coalition including French-speaking socialists, and they have talked of expanding the coalition to include the Christian Democrats if they continue to fare poorly in upcoming elections.
The headlines show that many real problems still exist concerning European unification when one considers the divides between political culture and political action, interest groups and parties, as well as government policies on both the national and international levels.