World’s media mocks Theresa May claiming she ‘shot herself’ with risky election gamble
THE world's press turned on Theresa May today describing her snap election call as a disastrous gamble which had gone horribly wrong.
Headlines around the globe mocked the PM for "shooting herself" in the foot during a failed election campaign which has now left Britain hanging in the balance.
And many were left asking what does the shock result mean to the future of Brexit and Britain's negotiations with Europe.
Some call it a "personal failure" for the PM adding the results are a "slap in the face" for the Tory leader.
One paper claimed May had "shot herself" with controversial proposals about the care of Brits suffering with dementia.
The Spiegel magazine in Germany made unflattering comparisons to Margaret Thatcher by calling the so-called "strong and stable" PM "The Wobbly Lady"
Others said she should hand back the keys to Number 10 now.
Here is what some of the world's newspaper websites have to say:
Le Monde in France reports on the Conservatives poor night at the polls with readers asking what it means to the future of Brexit.
The online version of the popular newspaper points out that the new Parliament will not reverse this decision.
But admits: "On the other hand, the debate is still open on how to conduct negotiations on the exit of the European Union, between proponents of a ";hard Brexit" and those who advocate a "soft Brexit". "The nature and extent of the links to be maintained with the EU are still under discussion."
Le Figaro in France points out that Theresa May ending up losing her "high risk electoral bet."
It described the result as "a personal failure for May, who hoped to strengthen her majority before the negotiations on the Brexit.
"After her failure in the legislative elections, Prime Minister Theresa May faced opposition pressure, but also in her own camp, to resign."
Bild in Germany describes the results as a "bitter slap for Theresa May."
It adds: "An election debacle before the start of Brexit negotiations. Theresa May is facing an exit from her own party.
"With the election she wanted to expand the parliamentary majority of her Conservative Party and win more tailwind for the Brexit negotiations with the EU.
"But now she will probably lose her office. After the fantastic poll values of four weeks ago, this is a bitter slap for May!"
Spiegel magazine in Germany uses wordplay to compare her to the Iron lady Margaret Thatcher, called her instead "Die eiernde Lady" - the wobbly lady.
"Britain's Prime minister Theresa May has been playing poker - and has lost almost everything. After a memorable night, the country is politically paralysed. And it's completely unclear where it goes from here.
"It is not stable any more - at least not for her job. So the tasks now are enormous: the government must organise the divorce process with the EU, for which there is no historical role model; It must tame the centrifugal forces in its own country and, in particular, look to Scotland and Northern Ireland to ensure that the United Kingdom remains a United Kingdom.
"It is a situation in which the country can actually use a strong and stable leader. Theresa May looked like this for a while. Two weeks ago, she was compared to the British media with the "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher. She's only been a wobbly lady since Friday morning."
Die Welt in Germany declares: "Theresa May pays for her risky game."
It condemned her campaign as a "disaster" and also questioned how long she could remain in office.
Merkur.de news website in Germany asks: "Election disaster for May - what now for Brexit?"
It went on: "MEPs are uneasy about the Brexit negotiations because of the weakness of the British Prime Minister Theresa May."
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The Berliner Zeitung in Germany states: "Setback instead of tailwind: British Prime Minister Theresa May is standing in front of a pile of debris after the reelection that had been put forward on her initiative.
"In Parliament the Conservatives lose their majority – the clear mandate they want for the Brexit negotiations with the European Union does not exist. No one knows whether, in these difficult circumstances, by March 2019, an orderly and all-enduring EU exit of the United Kingdom will indeed be successful."
El Pais in Spain accuses Theresa May of “short-termism” in an editorial piece.
It said: “The short-term adventurism of the British PM Theresa May has reached its end in the polls in the first occasion in which the leader submitted her candidacy to public scrutiny.
“If May brought yesterday’s elections forward to achieve electoral backing for the UK’s crucial Brexit negotiations, as she repeatedly claimed, the result she’s obtained has been exactly the opposite.
“If she did it, as everything appears to indicate, to solve her problems of authority and legitimacy in the Conservative party, we can talk very clearly about a total failure.”
El Mundo in Spain claims the “strong and stable” Margaret Thatcher-style image May had tried to project had gone from “inspiring confidence among her voters to causing the same effect as a joke told too many times.”
Blaming the electoral result on several factors including her ‘Dementia tax’ and criticism over police cuts while she was Home Secretary following the Manchester and London terrorist attacks, it added: “The Conservative party has won the elections but they have lost their absolute majority.
“May, who had called these elections to increase her majority in Parliament so she could negotiate Brexit with a stronger hand, has failed.
“She comes out of the elections with her reputation badly damaged, with the obligation of banishing the ‘strong and stable’ mantra, and above all with the mission of accepting that, for the time being, she is not Margaret Thatcher.”
La Repubblica in Italy writes about May's "failed gamble" and comments on the pressure on her to resign. It also tells how the value of Sterling has plummeted this morning.
One of its commentators Andrea Bonanni writes that the results has put the brakes on the rise of the rights in Europe.
Gazetta Wyborcza in Poland writes about a night of "disaster" for the Tories and their leader.
It also questions what the result means for the future of the Brexit negotiations after the Conservatives "melted" on the night.
It also spoke to Poles living in the UK to give their reactions to the results.
The New York Post claims the results were a "stunning setback" for Theresa May and the Tories.
It wrote: "May had called the snap election hoping to boost her party’s ranks in Parliament ahead of contentious Brexit talks set to take place later this summer.
"Now it appears the gambit backfired."
The Washington Post writes: "May’s gamble on a snap British vote backfires spectacularly, as losses trigger calls to step down.
"British Prime Minister Theresa May’s bet that she could strengthen her grip on power by calling an early election backfired spectacularly on Friday, with her Conservative Party losing its parliamentary majority and May facing calls to resign.
The outcome — an astonishing turn following a campaign that began with predictions that May would win in a historic landslide — immediately raised questions even among her fellow Tories about whether she could maintain her hold on 10 Downing Street."
Aftonbladet in Sweden describes the election result as a "gigantic fiasco."
It also focuses on the demise of UKIP and questions what the decision means for the immediate future of the British government.
Dagbladet in Norway states "She must resign" in their headline.
It writes: "The Conservative Party and Theresa May are going to lose the majority in Parliament for a very dramatic choice and a political own goal by dimensions from the Prime Minister.
"It was she who wrote out a new election when the Conservatives had a lead of about 20 percentage points in April.
Now they go instead toward losing the pure majority they had, which could trigger political crisis of May personally and for the United Kingdom in negotiations on Brexit."
However, not every paper seemed bother by the poltiical upheaval in Westminster.
Komsomolskaya Pravda in Russia focuses on the achievements of Peter the Great and the performance of an actor with a broken arm.
Some of the key details from the turbulent night so far:
- Hung parliament confirmed with Tories missing out on majority of 326 with polls predicting 318 seats - down from 330
- Labour forecast to take 262 - up from 232 in 2015. They are
- Theresa May faces mounting pressure – with the odds slashed on Boris Johnson to be the next PM
- Fears grow Brexit negotiations could be sunk if Mrs May does not secure a majority
- Lib Dem Nick Clegg loses Sheffield Hallam seat but Vince Cable regains Twickenham while leader Tim Farron clings on
- Home Secretary Amber Rudd holds on to Hastings seat by barely 300 votes
- Huge losses for SNP as former chief Alex Salmond and deputy leader Angus Robertson are both beaten by the Tories.
- Labour on march in London beating Tories to Battersea constituency but Tory Zac Goldsmith takes back Richmond with a majority of just 45
- Pound slides two per cent as exit poll predicts hung parliament
- Ukip voters desert party with vote share down by ten per cent
- Growing fears that Mrs May will have to call a second election later this year
- Sources claim Theresa May is not planning to resign - and instead "has every intention of forming a government with the DUP"
- Jeremy Corbyn claims he won the election after making significant gains across the country