Eurotopics.net

The Russian people will elect their representatives to the State Duma from September 17 to 19. All the stronger opposition candidates have been excluded from the election, and the OSCE has decided not to send observers because of Moscow's strict requirements. Commentators explain why the election is unlikely to have any impact on Putin's power and that of his United Russia party - even if on paper there are a few alternatives.

Protests against coronavirus restrictions have turned violent in Ljubljana. The police used tear gas and water cannons after demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails at the parliament building. The national press shows varying degrees of understanding for the protests, which were mainly directed against stricter testing requirements for the unvaccinated.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has delivered her second annual State of the Union address, preparing the public for a new era of intensified international competition and promoting among other things a European defence union. For some observers the speech shone with optimism. Others lament that ultimately the EU Commission's hands are always tied.

In Germany's parliamentary elections on 26 September voters will also decide who succeeds Angela Merkel as chancellor. According to INSA surveys, the SPD - junior partner in the current grand coalition government - is polling at 26 percent, giving it a clear lead against the CDU/CSU (20.5 percent) and the Greens (15 percent). Europe's press looks at what the potential government alliances could mean for the EU - and especially for Brussels' financial policy.