Europeans vote in elections for
EU Parliament
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| A voter in Germany drops deposits their ballot (ANSA) |
Sunday was the final and main day of voting in elections for
the European Parliament, with rising EU-scepticism posing a threat to
long-dominant centre-right and centre-left parties.
By Susy Hodges
Opinion polls showed that immigration was the biggest issue
for voters across Europe, followed by the economy and climate change.
Nationalist EU-sceptic parties have tapped into this concern
and are widely forecast to do well in these elections, including in the three
biggest countries of the euro zone: Germany, France and Italy.
Rising threats to EU integration
Several analysts in Germany were predicting losses for all 3
parties that make up Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition. Some said the
results of the EU elections could even bring about a premature end to the
coalition.
Across in France, President Emmanuel Macron is strongly in
favour of more EU integration, but opinion polls showed the Euro-sceptic
National Rally party could narrowly win more support than Macron’s own
party.
A further threat to EU integration comes from Italy’s deputy
premier Matteo Salvini. His populist, anti-immigration League party is tipped
to win more than 30 percent of the vote.
Salvini is trying to create a powerful bloc in the European
parliament which he is calling the European Alliance for People and Nations. On
May 18th he organized a campaign rally in Italy that was
attended by 12 right-wing nationalist parties from across Europe.
On the left, some of the smaller parties like the European
Greens are hoping to increase their share of the vote in the wake of widespread
climate change protests in recent weeks.
UK turmoil
Britain was not supposed to be taking part in the EU
elections, but political deadlock over an exit deal with the EU has delayed
Brexit.
As a result Britons were called to the polls on Thursday. A
day later, Prime Minister Teresa May announced she was stepping down on June 7th because
of the failure by her Conservative government to deliver Brexit.
Opinion polls showed that the newly-formed Brexit Party was
likely to gain the most votes, with the Conservative only in 4th place.
Nationalist rise
In every European parliament so far, the centre-right and
centre-left parties have been the dominant power, holding more than 50 percent
of the seats.
But if the opinion polls prove accurate, these establishment
parties are expected to suffer across the EU, both at the hands of the
nationalist/populist parties as well as smaller groupings on the left.
The result is likely to be a more fragmented European
parliament that will put a potential brake on collective action in economic and
foreign policy. In more general terms, the result seems certain to put on ice
plans for further EU integration.
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