Eurotopics.net

On 3 November US citizens will elect a new president, members of the House of Representatives and part of the Senate. In the race for the presidency, former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden has a lead of around 8 percentage points against Republican incumbent Donald Trump. European observers discuss the election's international implications.

The Chileans voted for a reform of their constitution by a clear majority over the weekend. The current constitution was drafted in 1980 by the Pinochet military regime without the participation of representatives of the people. Its abolition was one of the demands of the 2019 social protests. President Sebastián Piñera has describe the decision as a victory for democracy and unity. Most observers agree.

Lithuania has voted for a change of government. The winner of last weekend's parliamentary elections is the Christian-conservative Unity party, which now plans to form a coalition with two liberal parties. The country's strongest party before the vote, the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, lost 22 of its 54 seats. Commentators discuss why the old government was punished and what might change with the new one.

Children from low-income families will no longer receive free school meals during the half-term and Christmas holidays, the British government has decided. Manchester United player Marcus Rashford, who comes from a poor background, is fighting the decision. His campaign has been taken up by supermarkets, restaurants, NGOs, companies and local authorities.

Referring to French President Emmanuel Macron's comment after the assassination of teacher Samuel Paty that Islam was in crisis, Turkey's President Erdoğan has mocked Macron, describing him as insane. Ankara and Paris have clashed repeatedly in the past, for example in the dispute over how to proceed in Libya, the gas dispute in the Mediterranean and most recently in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. What does this new scandal mean?