Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials On Theresa May Calling For Elections

Krishnadev Calamur, The Atlantic: Why Theresa May Called for Elections

Being 21 percent ahead in the polls doesn’t hurt.

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s decision to call for snap general elections on June 8, three years before they were scheduled to be conducted, reflects not only her professed frustration at the “game-playing” in Parliament, but also her increasing confidence of securing a political mandate to see through tough negotiations with the European Union over Brexit.

Because May has called for early elections, she needs parliamentary approval—something she is expected to secure as early as Wednesday. “The country is coming together, but Westminster is not,” May said by way of explanaton, referring to the U.K.’s Parliament. Last month the U.K. formally triggered Brexit, a process that’s expected to take two years, during which time the country remains a EU member. But the debate over what negotiations with the EU should look like has been rancorous. Those who campaigned to keep the U.K. in the EU want a future relationship to be similar to the one the country enjoyed with full EU membership. But the main sticking point, access to the EU single market, depends on the free movement of the EU’s citizens across the bloc. This aspect of membership is deeply unpopular in the U.K., where immigration remains a controversial issue.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials On Theresa May Calling For Elections

Analysis: Snap election gives May ultimate Brexit mandate -- The Telegraph
UK snap election: What does it mean? -- Eliza Mackintosh, CNN
5 Reasons Why Theresa May Wants a General Election Now -- Dan Stewart, TIME
The case for an early general election: Theresa May should be free to put her Brexit plans to the people -- William Hague, The Telegraph
Why Theresa May’s decision to call a snap election took Britain by surprise -- Adam Taylor, Washington Post
An election win for Theresa May would make the 'cliff-edge Brexit' beloved by hardline Tories much less likely -- Andrew Grice, The Independent
How will the general election change Scottish council campaigns? -- Jamie McIvor, BBC
The countdown begins! As Theresa May announces Britain will go to the polls in just seven weeks time, what happens next? -- Daily Mail
British PM calls election: What next? -- Reuters
What's next and what's at stake in UK snap election -- AP