| The Hindu | - |
Far-right
and eurosceptic parties scored big victories on Sunday as voters in the
European Union picked a new parliament for the bloc, setting the stage
for a challenging five years of EU lawmaking.
Far-right, eurosceptics gain ground in EU elections
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Britain's anti-European Union party UKIP chairman Nigel Farage talks to
the media via a video link from Britain with the European Parliament in
Brussels on Sunday.
Far-right and eurosceptic parties scored big victories on Sunday as voters in the European Union picked a new parliament for the bloc, setting the stage for a challenging five years of EU lawmaking.
France delivered the biggest upset, with the anti-immigrant, far-right
National Front expected to score its first victory in a national
election. Its leader, Marine Le Pen, called for parliament to be
dissolved and new elections held.
Ms. Le Pen, whose party wants France to ditch the euro and hold a
referendum on quitting the EU, told reporters the country had voted for
rule “of the French, by the French, for the French.” But her compatriot
Joseph Daul, the leader of the conservative faction in the European
Parliament, expressed disappointment.
“I am sad tonight of the image France is displaying vis-à-vis other European countries,” he told journalists in Brussels.
Two exit polls showed the National Front winning 25 per cent of the vote
-- well ahead of President Francois Hollande’s Socialist Party, which
trailed in third with what could be its worst showing since 1994.
Governing parties in other countries were also punished by voters, amid
disenchantment with the EU -- and notably its response to the eurozone’s
economic crisis.
“Ruling parties have paid a price in these elections,” Swedish Prime
Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt told supporters in Stockholm, after his
conservative party saw its worst result in an EU election.
The anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) looked headed to top the
British poll with 31 per cent of the vote and 22 seats, after nine of 12
regions had been counted early on Monday. The ruling Conservative Party
was in second place with 25 per cent.
Scotland and Northern Ireland were not expected to give results until
later on Monday and results in London were reportedly delayed by
vote-counting problems in one council.
“The day where we have more referendums on EU membership and membership
of the euro will have come much, much closer with these results
tonight,” its leader, Nigel Farage, told journalists in Brussels via
videolink.
Ruling parties in Germany and Spain were also dealt a blow. The
conservative Spanish People’s Party saw its vote share drop by 17
percentage points, while Germany’s ruling Christian Democrats were
expected to face their worst-ever result in an EU poll.
The anti-euro Alternative fuer Deutschland, on the other hand, secured
its first seats in the EU’s parliament. The far-right National
Democratic Party -- which has overtly neo-Nazi supporters -- could also
be on course to win its first seat.
In Greece, exit polls had the far-left SYRIZA party leading with 26-30
per cent, ahead of the ruling conservative New Democracy Party.
SYRIZA has campaigned vociferously against the austerity that was part of the response to the economic crisis.
Right-wing and anti-immigrant parties also made gains in Austria,
Finland and Sweden, while the Danish People’s Party won the biggest
share of the vote in that Nordic country, according to exit polls and
initial projections.
In the east, ruling parties took a drubbing in Bulgaria, Croatia and the
Czech Republic, while Hungary’s far-right Jobbik party became the
largest opposition party.
Commission president candidate Guy Verhofstadt nevertheless struck an
upbeat tone, arguing that a large majority of the incoming parliament
will be pro-EU.
The conservative European People’s Party is expected to remain the
largest group in the legislature, with provisional results issued early
Monday attributing it 212 out of 751 seats. They foresaw the Socialists
coming in second with 186 seats.
“You cannot say that there is a majority of eurosceptics and
nationalists winning these elections,” Verhofstadt said. “At least two
(out of) three representatives in the new parliament are people who are
in favour of the EU.” Eurosceptics also were handed resounding defeats
in two of the EU’s largest countries -- Italy and the Netherlands.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was forecast to have led his
centre-left Democratic Party to a landslide win, crushing fears that it
could lose to the anti-establishment Five Star Movement of Beppe Grillo,
which came in a distant second.
The Dutch far-right, anti-immigrant Party for Freedom of eurosceptic
Geert Wilders also unexpectedly lost support to land in third place.
Voter turnout delivered another surprise. There had been warnings that
interest could drop, but a parliament projection estimated that around
43 per cent of eligible EU voters had cast ballots -- in line with the
last election in 2009.
“It’s true, 43 percent is not a high figure, but what is important is
that for the first time it is going up and no longer going down, as we
have seen the last 30 years,” Verhofstadt noted.
Around 400 million people across the 28-country EU were eligible to vote
in the quinquennial elections. Official results are expected to trickle
in over the coming days.
The race for commission president was a novelty meant to boost voter
interest. Conservative contender Jean-Claude Juncker, a former
Luxembourg prime minister, said he felt “entitled” to the post since his
party will be the largest in the new parliament.
But Juncker will now need to win over a majority in the new legislature and among EU governments.
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