China & Belarus join forces

Hi Global Recap readers,

Well, we did mention that this year would be packed with a record number of elections.

Today, we’re diving into the results of France’s recent second round of legislative elections and sharing some interesting details that other outlets are not mentioning.

Plus: there’s this military threat from Belarus and China to discuss.👇

🇧🇾🇨🇳 Belarus & China
China and Belarus Joint Drills

Chinese and Belarusian troops have started joint military exercises near the Polish border, responding to what they call the “West’s aggressive foreign policy.”

🔘 Exercises. The drills, named Eagle Assault, will last 11 days and include:

• Night landing operations

• Overcoming water obstacles

• Conducting urban operations

🔘 Response. Belarus claims these exercises are a reaction to:

• NATO’s growing presence on its border

• Ukrainian provocations

🔘 Context. These drills come just before the NATO summit in Washington, where:

• Poland and Lithuania plan to discuss border protection

• Aid to Ukraine and defense strategies will be the focus.

🔘 Belarus. Belarus has been a close ally of Russia, providing logistical support since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

• The country recently joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, aligning more closely with China and Russia.

🇫🇷 France
Unexpected Election Results

France is experiencing a political upheaval as Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party unexpectedly failed to secure a majority in the second round of the legislative elections.

🔘 Election Results. The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition emerged with the most seats, but not enough for an absolute majority.

• 289 seats are required for an absolute majority.

• The NFP won 182 seats, Macron’s Ensemble alliance got 168, and Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) secured 143.

• The NFP’s victory prevented the RN from forming a government, but it didn’t achieve a clear majority.

🔘 Votes. Here are some interesting facts that you may not know about, since other outlets are not talking about them.

• RN won ~37% of the votes, despite coming in third (in the number of seats).

• NFP won ~26%.

• Ensemble won ~25%.

• Supporters against Le Pen are calling this an astounding victory, while supporters of Le Pen are calling this a farce.

• New Popular Front was hastily created on June 10 to defeat National Rally.

• NFP has pledged to “immediately recognize” Palestine’s statehood.

🔘 Flags. People online have also observed more Palestinian flags than French flags at the celebration.

This is not selective. Even the thumbnail of The Guardian’s YouTube video is the following:

🔘 Future Challenges. The new political landscape poses significant challenges for governance.

• Macron must appoint a new prime minister, likely from the NFP, but internal divisions within the coalition could complicate this.

• The NFP’s ambitious spending plans may clash with EU fiscal rules and France’s need to control its deficit.

• Without a clear majority, the government risks frequent no-confidence votes and potential instability.

🇫🇷 France
France’s RN Leads New EU Group

That being said, it is not a total defeat for France’s National Rally (RN).

Earlier on Monday, RN announced that it will lead the European Parliament’s third-largest alliance, Patriots for Europe, formed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

🔘 Alliance. This new alliance aims to challenge the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) and reorient EU policies to serve national interests.

• The alliance includes Austria’s Freedom Party, Hungary’s Fidesz, and the Czech ANO party.

• The group aims to fight illegal immigration and transfer more powers from Brussels back to member states.

🔘 Leadership. Key figures and their roles in the new alliance.

• Marine Le Pen’s RN adds 30 members to the Patriots.

• Jordan Bardella, RN’s president, is the group’s new president.

• Kinga Gál of Fidesz and Roberto Vannacci of Italy’s League are vice presidents.

🇺🇦 Ukraine
Children’s Hospital Hit in Kyiv

Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital, Ohmatdyt, was severely damaged by a Russian missile strike, resulting in casualties and extensive destruction.

🔘 Attack. The Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv was hit by a missile, causing significant damage and casualties.

• Two adults, including a doctor, were killed.

• The hospital, which provides cancer treatment and organ transplants, was heavily damaged, with 60-70% of the facility affected.

• Patients, including children with IV drips, had to be evacuated.

🔘 Response. Ukrainian officials and international leaders condemned the attack.

• President Zelensky and Kyiv’s mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko, accused Russia of targeting civilians.

• The UN and EU officials strongly condemned the strikes, calling for accountability.

• Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov emphasized the need for more air defense systems.

🔘 Impact. The missile strikes caused widespread destruction and loss of life across multiple cities.

• In addition to Kyiv, cities like Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk were also hit.

• The attacks resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries, with significant damage to infrastructure.

🇺🇦 Ukraine
Zelensky and Tusk Sign “Unprecedented Document”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk signed a security agreement in Warsaw on July 8, 2024, ahead of the NATO summit.

🔘 Agreement: Poland is the latest country to sign a security pact with Ukraine, following a pledge by the G7 in July 2023.

• Other countries, including the US, UK, Germany, and France, have signed similar agreements to support Ukraine against Russian aggression.

• President Zelensky called the agreement an “unprecedented document".”

🔘 Support: Tusk expressed strong support for Ukraine, emphasizing Poland’s commitment to helping Ukraine achieve safety and stability.

• He posted on X, “Perseverance and courage. These words best describe the attitude of Zelensky in the fight for a safe Ukraine and a safe Europe. You can always count on us in this fight.”

🔘 NATO Summit: Zelensky’s visit to Warsaw comes just before the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., from July 9-11, 2024.

• The summit marks NATO’s 75th anniversary, celebrating the signing of its founding treaty in Washington.

🇮🇷 Iran
Reformist Wins Presidency

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian has won Iran’s runoff presidential election, defeating hard-liner Saeed Jalili.

🔘 Victory. Pezeshkian won with 16.3 million votes against Jalili’s 13.5 million.

• He aims to maintain Iran’s Shiite theocracy while making modest reforms.

• Pezeshkian promises to reach out to the West and ease enforcement on the country’s mandatory headscarf law.

🔘 Promises. Pezeshkian vows to improve relations with the West and address economic issues.

• He speaks multiple languages and represents the first president from western Iran in decades.

• His campaign focused on outreach to Iran’s many ethnicities and improving the economy for small businesses.

🔘 Challenges. However, Pezeshkian faces significant hurdles from hard-liners in the government.

• He has never held a high-level security post, making navigation of internal politics crucial.

• The election saw a historically low turnout of 49.6 percent.