German Chancellor Scholz warns next European Commission president against courting far-right support

By STEPHEN GRAHAM
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has waded into the European election campaign by warning that the next president of the European Commission should not seek support from far-right parties after next month’s vote. Left-leaning parties across Europe have been heaping pressure on their mainstream conservative and liberal counterparts to rule out cooperation with far-right parties after the June 6-9 elections to the European Parliament. But a big swing to the right could make it harder for the next president of the commission — who will need approval from a majority in the new pan-European parliament — to lead the 27-bloc effectively with the fading support of traditional parties.