Europe

François Hollande was elected as the new President of France, becoming the first socialist president of the country in 17 years.

The Republic of Ireland voted to legalize same-sex marriage, becoming the first country to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote.

Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill signed an Ecumenical Declaration in the first such meeting between leaders of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches since their split in 1054.

Theresa May succeeded David Cameron as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, becoming Britain’s second female prime minister.

In the Scottish independence referendum, Scotland voted to remain in the United Kingdom, with 55.3% of votes against independence while 44.7% voted in favour.

Amid growing financial tensions, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano was re-elected, the first ever Italian president to be re-elected. Napolitano appointed Enrico Letta Prime Minister, at the head of a grand coalition.

The UK Independence Party received the most votes in the European election for the United Kingdom, the first time a third party won an election in the country since 1906.

Greece became the first advanced economy to miss a payment to the International Monetary Fund in the fund’s 71-year history.

Leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France reached an agreement on the conflict in Eastern Ukraine that included a ceasefire and withdrawal of heavy weapons. However, the truce has largely failed to stop the fighting, with skirmishes continuing unabated.

Benedict XVI resigned as pope, the first to do so since Gregory XII in 1415, and the first to do so voluntarily since Celestine V in 1294.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi resigned after the result constitutional referendum, in which Italians rejected his reform to overhaul the Senate of the Republic. The Foreign Affairs Minister Paolo Gentiloni was appointed new Prime Minister.

The Scottish National Party won an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament under Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond. The SNP’s transition from a minority government to a majority government allowed them to pledge to have a referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom.