Continental view – Europe
Saturday, 10 May 2008 00:00
Josef Fritzl made the Austrian headlines in April
A selection of the top news stories making the headlines in Europe in the last two months.
The Kremlin's new resident
Russians chose Dmitry Medvedev as their next president on March 2nd, with the former first deputy prime minister taking 70 per cent of the vote.
The vote was marred by allegations of electoral fraud, but that made very little difference by May 7th when Mr Medvedev took office in a lavish ceremony at the Kremlin.
In the meantime his predecessor, Vladimir Putin, was busy making last-minute deals with US president George Bush.
And he was securing his own political future by becoming chairman of the ruling United Russia party, as well as Mr Medvedev's hugely influential prime minister.
Russia: A new cold war
A collapsed coalition
Kosovo's declaration of independence on February 17th was momentous for the country it was seceding from,
Serbia.
Despite backing in the international arena from Russia the coalition government collapsed, leading to prime minister Vojislav Kostunica's resignation in early March.
By March 13th president Boris Tadic was forced to dissolve parliament to call early elections, which are due on May 11th.
"The elections are a democratic way for citizens to say how Serbia should develop in years to come," Mr Tadic said in a statement.
Kosovo: A new country
Bouncing back
Nicolas Sarkozy's presidency may have seen its nadir in mid-April. This time last year he was in the middle of a successful election campaign to become
France's next head of state, but mid-March 2008 saw him receive a slap on the wrists in local elections.
The Union Movement Populaire lost the popular vote and saw it lose control of dozens of cities and towns across France, with commentators suggesting a certain lack of dignity on Mr Sarkozy's part – as well as opposition to his much-hated reforms - may be to blame.
A state visit to Britain, which saw him address the UK parliament and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy wow the UK tabloids with her demure elegance, may have helped him begin the recovery from these setbacks.
And his statesmanlike stance on the Tibet situation on April 5th, threatening a boycott of the 2008 Olympic Games over China's treatment of the Himalayan region, is also believed to have helped his domestic standing.
France: A new direction
Berlusconi's return
Italy welcomed former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi back to his old office in parliamentary elections on April 13th.
His centre-right coalition beat moderate left leader Walter Veltroni in the campaign, which was triggered by the collapse of Romano Prodi's perpetually weak coalition government.
"We have difficult months ahead that will require great strength," he said in response to his victory, adding he intended to serve the full five-year term.
Mr Berlusconi has pledged to cut taxes and reduce bureaucracy, but it remains to be seen whether he can reverse Italy's relative economic decline with the rest of Europe.
Italy: A new prime minister
Other major developments
April 3rd: An undivided capital. Nicosia, capital of
Cyprus, saw a street which had divided the Turkish north from the Greek south for four-and-a-half decades open in a symbolic ceremony.
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March 9th: Zapatero's back. The governing Socialist party won elections in
Spain but failed to secure an absolute parliamentary majority.
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April 12th: Amstetten horror. Josef Fritzl, a 73-year-old Austrian man, confessed to keeping his daughter captive in a cellar for 24 years and fathering seven of her children
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