A supporter of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) holds up a placard that reads “Protect the constitution from Merkel” on Aug. 29. (Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images)The biggest story: Germany's far right breaks a taboo, but will it last?
Although German Chancellor Merkel secured the most votes in last weekend's election, there was little reason for celebration among the established parties, as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party gained a surprisingly large share of the vote with 12.6 percent.
The AfD won’t be in a position to drive a legislative agenda, but the far right probably now has something it has always been denied: parliamentary legitimacy on a national level. Read the full analysis.
Alexander Gauland of the anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in March 2016. (Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters)However, many AfD voters — 60 percent — told pollsters that they supported the far-right group not because they thought it was the best choice, but because they were disappointed by the mainstream conservatives and other parties. Hence, the party's support base is not as robust as it might appear.
The fragility of far-right movements is on display in France.
How the far-right could defeat itself
A little over four months ago, France’s National Front was on the doorstep of the presidency. Now the party is drifting further and further away from power — and maybe even into obscurity, writes James McAuley from Paris.
In a landmark speech this week, French President Macron also proposed a renewed focus on a united Europe to defeat the far right. “To make a place for refugees is our common duty as Europeans,” he said, “but we must do so without leaving the burden to a few, whether they are the country of arrival or of welcome.” Read the full story.
Four other important stories
1. The powerful desire for independence
Macron's pro-European speech came as Catalans in Spain prepared to vote in a highly contentious independence referendum on Sunday.
While Spanish authorities have sought to prevent the vote, European Union officials in Brussels said they would not interfere. Many European leaders still wish to avoid a precedent in which a breakaway region is welcomed into the bloc, given the number of similar regions across Europe that might soon try to do the same, write Pamela Rolfe and James McAuley.
2. Putin’s imaginary successor wins 18 percent in new poll, even though he doesn’t exist
Another independence struggle has played out between Chechnya and the Russian government over the past decades. Russian President Vladimir Putin has mostly managed to hold on to his influence in the region, however, where his party secured over 99 percent of all votes in elections in 2011 — according to disputed official numbers.
The Kremlin in Moscow. (Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images)A new poll recently asked Russians whether they would vote for Putin's anointed successor, Andrei Semyonov, and 18 percent of respondents agreed.
The problem is Semyonov doesn't actually exist. Instead, the imaginary candidate was used as an “experiment,” to determine the loyalty of Putin's supporters. That level of loyalty appears to be rather high, at least among parts of the population.
Read the full story by Adam Taylor.
3. Trump called out ‘Rocket Man.’ This Japanese musician said: ‘Who, me?’
Meanwhile, President Trump's approval ratings have fallen significantly during the past months, as his comments on Twitter and elsewhere have come under criticism almost daily. In his latest controversial remarks, Trump couldn't resist using a mocking quip in a blunt speech to the United Nations last week. He called out “Rocket Man.”
Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Trump. (Saul Loeb Jones/AFP/Getty Images)Most of the world knows the American president meant Kim Jong Un, but plenty of people in Japan heard about the speech and thought: Does Trump mean Ryo Fukawa, a comedian and musician who goes by the name “Rocket Man”?
Anna Fifield in Tokyo has the full story.
4. Saudi women will finally be allowed to drive
Amid all the worrisome news that alarmed the world this week, the most encouraging development came out of an unlikely country: Saudi Arabia. Women there will now be permitted to drive, aligning Saudi Arabia with virtually every other country in the world.
Read the full story by Karen DeYoung.
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