Eurotopics.net

In Hungary, Viktor Orbán's ruling Fidesz party's share of the vote dropped to 45 percent in the European elections, while his rival Péter Magyar's newly founded Tisza party secured 30 percent. Commentators have different takes on the result.

Bulgaria held its sixth parliamentary election in three years together with the European elections. Former prime minister Boyko Borisov's conservative Gerb party won, securing just over a quarter of the vote, followed by the Turkish minority party DPS. The reform-oriented PP, the party that formed the last government, only came third. Commentators still don't see an end to the deadlock.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called a general election for 4 July even though he could have delayed it until January 2025. Sunak said on Wednesday that the British people must decide: 'Who do you trust?' Commentators discuss why the prime minister has decided to hold the election now - despite abysmal poll ratings - and whether the Tories still stand a chance of winning.

The rift had already been obvious for some time, and then on Thursday the AfD was excluded from the Identity and Democracy group in the EU Parliament. Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National and Matteo Salvini's Lega were the driving forces behind the move, which was reportedly triggered by remarks by the AfD's lead candidate in the EU elections, Maximilian Krah, in which he downplayed the crimes of the SS during World War II. What comes next for Europe's far right?

A mysterious Russian government proposal has caused a stir. Published on an official Russian portal on Tuesday, it has now been deleted but involved a revision of the "geographical coordinates" defining Russia's borders in various areas of the Baltic Sea which - according to the draft - are inaccurate. Commentators are at odds over the seriousness of the incident.