Péter Magyar has won a resounding victory in the Hungarian parliamentary election, with his centre-right, pro-European Tisza party securing 138 of 199 seats. It can now govern unchallenged with a two-thirds majority. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who had become increasingly authoritarian since taking power in 2010, has ceded defeat for his far-right populist Fidesz. Voter turnout was unusually high at 79.5 percent.
After the collapse of peace talks with Iran in the Pakistani capital on the weekend, US President Donald Trump has announced that the US navy will close the Strait of Hormuz and block passage for all ships seeking to enter or leave Iranian ports from Monday afternoon. He also said that further US military strikes in Iran were under consideration.
The Hungarian election taking place this Sunday is of major significance for the EU as a whole. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose 16-year rule has become increasingly authoritarian, based the election campaign of his Fidesz party on hostility towards Brussels and Kyiv, and has received backing from both Washington and Moscow. In the polls, however, he is trailing behind opposition candidate Péter Magyar and his Tisza party.
A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday has failed to mend the rifts within the alliance. Rutte said afterwards that Trump was "clearly disappointed" by the Europeans' refusal to support the US in the war against Iran, while Trump pointedly raised the subject of Greenland again.
With just a day to go before direct negotiations between the US and Iran begin in Islamabad, both sides are accusing each other of failing to honour the ceasefire. Israel has stepped up its attacks in Lebanon, which Tehran says breaches the ceasefire agreement. And the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz – a key US demand vis-à-vis Iran – remains uncertain.
Israel has said that the ceasefire agreed between Washington and Tehran does not apply to its war against the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and is continuing its attacks. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, more than 180 people died in Israeli attacks on Wednesday. Commentators focus on the role of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in this war.
Ten years ago on 6 April 2016, in the run-up to his first presidential campaign, Emmanuel Macron founded the En Marche movement, which now operates as a political party under the name Renaissance. Its aim was to overcome the right-left polarisation in France's political landscape and give the country a new dynamic. Commentators evaluate its success.
Two court cases have begun against former high-ranking politicians from the country's two main parties: the ruling Socialist PSOE and the conservative Partido Popular (PP). The charges include embezzlement of public funds and covering up illegal party financing. The national media see the scandals less as isolated criminal cases and more as a flaw in the political system.
At the last moment, Tehran and Washington have agreed on a two-week ceasefire. Donald Trump continued to ramp up his threats as the US ultimatum deadline loomed, announcing that 'an entire civilisation will die' if Iran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The initial reaction in the European press is one of shock rather than relief.
The four-person Orion crew has successfully completed its orbit of the Moon. The space capsule is now making its return, with the help of Earth's gravitational pull. The photos and live streams from Orion are circulating around the world. But as the media commentary shows, people's excitement about technological progress is matched by their concern for the future.