- Austrians elected the Green party’s Alexander Van der Bellen as their next president on Sunday. He defeated the far right’s Norbert Hofer with 54 to 46 percent support.
- Italians rejected constitutional reforms in a referendum on the same day, prompting the center-left prime minister, Matteo Renzi, to resign. Read more “Austrians Elect Left-Wing President, Italians Vote Renzi Out”
Author: Atlantic Sentinel
Transatlantic opinion website
Conservative Fillon Triumphs in French Center-Right Primary
- French conservatives on Sunday nominated former prime minister François Fillon as their presidential candidate.
- Alain Juppé, another former prime minister, lost the second voting round in the Republicans’ first-ever presidential primary with 33 to 67 percent support.
- Given the unpopularity of the ruling Socialist Party, Fillon is now the favorite to win the presidency in 2017. Read more “Conservative Fillon Triumphs in French Center-Right Primary”
Former Premiers Knock Sarkozy Out of Presidential Contest
- Former prime ministers François Fillon and Alain Juppé got the most support in the first round of the French center-right’s presidential primary on Sunday.
- Of the two, Juppé is the more mainstream and pro-European candidate.
- Nicolas Sarkozy, the former president, placed third and was eliminated from the contest.
- The winner will be decided in a second voting round next week. Read more “Former Premiers Knock Sarkozy Out of Presidential Contest”
World Comes to Terms with Shock Trump Victory

- Many of America’s allies in Europe are in shock, but nationalists, including France’s Marine Le Pen and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, have welcomed Donald Trump’s surprise victory over Hillary Clinton.
- France has called for closer European cooperation now that America appears to be distancing itself from the rest of the world.
- There is a sense in Britain that a new era of populism married with discontent at the status quo has arrived. Read more “World Comes to Terms with Shock Trump Victory”
Trump Defeats Clinton in Unexpectedly Close Election
- Americans have chosen Republican businessman Donald Trump to succeed Barack Obama as president. Trump won 306 electoral votes with 46 percent support against 232 electoral votes and 48 percent support for Democrat Hillary Clinton.
- Clinton fell short in key states, including Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
- Republicans also defended their majorities in Congress. They are projected to win 236 seats in the House of Representatives, where 218 are needed for a majority, and 51 seats in the Senate. Read more “Trump Defeats Clinton in Unexpectedly Close Election”
Hillary Clinton Is the Only Serious Candidate in This Election

Four years ago, the Atlantic Sentinel was split on whether to endorse Barack Obama or Mitt Romney for president. We share the Democrats’ social liberalism and respected the president’s foreign policy, but we were drawn to the Republican’s energy and fiscal policies.
This year, it’s no contest at all. Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, is totally unfit for the office he seeks. Read more “Hillary Clinton Is the Only Serious Candidate in This Election”
Erdoğan Survives Putsch in Turkey

- A faction of the Turkish military has tried and failed to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
- Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said fewer than 3,000 soldiers were involved in the putsch. A similar number was later said to have been arrested. Read more “Erdoğan Survives Putsch in Turkey”
Theresa May Succeeds David Cameron as Prime Minister

- Queen Elizabeth II has accepted David Cameron’s resignation as prime minister and asked Theresa May to form a new government.
- May won the leadership of Britain’s ruling Conservative Party, and hence the prime ministership, by default on Monday when her last rival withdrew.
- She immediately fired George Osborne, Cameron’s deputy, and named Philip Hammond as chancellor. Read more “Theresa May Succeeds David Cameron as Prime Minister”
May to Succeed Cameron as Prime Minister on Wednesday

- Britain’s home secretary, Theresa May, will become prime minister on Wednesday.
- Her only remaining rival for the leadership of the ruling Conservative Party, Andrea Leadsom, withdrew from the race.
- A leadership election was triggered by David Cameron’s resignation in the wake of the Brexit referendum. Read more “May to Succeed Cameron as Prime Minister on Wednesday”
Johnson Stands Down as Five Vie for David Cameron’s Job
- Michael Gove, the British justice secretary, has forced Boris Johnson out of the race to succeed David Cameron by launching his own bid for the Conservative Party leadership.
- Theresa May, the home secretary, has formally declared her candidacy as well. She is seen as the best candidate to reunite the party in the wake of a divisive EU referendum campaign.
- The other candidates are Stephen Crabb, a “Cameroon” on the left of the party, and Euroskeptics Liam Fox and Andrea Leadsom. Read more “Johnson Stands Down as Five Vie for David Cameron’s Job”