Political parties

Romania's new Prime Minister has worked his way up from a low-ranking post in the Social Democrats to the top, while shrugging off various controversies and scandals on the way.

After three hours of debate and with 186 votes "for" and 32 "against", the parliament created a temporary commission to decide whether to remove the immunity of the people's representatives Boyko Borissov and Daniel Alexandrov from GERB-SDS, Kiril Petkov from "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) and Dimitar Avramov from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS).

New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis has made the decision to postpone Wednesday's campaign rally in the western port city of Patra following the devastating shipwreck that occurred overnight off the town of Pylos.

The fines imposed on political parties for illegal poster pollution not only concern one party, nor are they driven by a money collection logic, Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis told Skai on Tuesday, commenting on the reactions of the communist KKE party to the penalty it received from the municipality.

The man who changed the face of Italy and paved the way for the ruling far right died on Monday, but Berlusconism has risen. After Silvio Berlusconi's death, my country seems to have fallen under a spell. The major TV channels broadcast hagiographic reports of the four-time prime minister, with nostalgic music playing in the background.

New Democracy will win the upcoming elections with a huge margin and Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be re-elected prime minister.

As of now, the most likely scenario is of seven parties entering Parliament, compared to the five that passed the 3% threshold in the May 21 election.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP), has said he will not try to prevent attempts to change the leadership at the party, stressing that his decision to hold the general convention this year is solid evidence.

An opposition bloc led by the Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, which was swept from power in 2020 after three decades of uninterrupted rule, came second with 23.8 per cent of votes.

Silvio Berlusconi, controversial former Italian Prime Minister and media tycoon, died in a Milan'private hospital San Raffaele on Tuesday aged 86 at around 9.30am.

He reportedly had leukaemia and was hospitalised for six weeks in the spring before being readmitted on Friday. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel stated that GERB leader Boyko Borissov will not change his mind and will not give up his immunity until the judicial reform is implemented.