Final day of EU elections in 21 countries
The vote outcome will determine the EU’s next parliament and indirectly the makeup of the powerful European Commission
Daily TribuneThe vote outcome will determine the EU’s next parliament and indirectly the makeup of the powerful European Commission
A voter casts his ballot for European Parliament Elections at a polling station in Gutach, southern Germany, on June 9, 2024.
Photo by THOMAS KIENZLE / AFP
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Voting began across Europe Sunday on the final — and biggest — day of marathon European Union (EU) elections, with balloting due in 21 countries, including France and Germany, where support for surging far-right parties is being tested.
More than 360 million voters were called to cast ballots across the EU over four days, with projected overall results due late Sunday evening.
It is a pivotal time for Europe. The continent is confronted with the war in Ukraine, global trade and industrial tensions marked by United States-China rivalry, a climate emergency and a West that within months may have to adapt to a new Donald Trump presidency.
The vote outcome will determine the bloc’s next parliament and indirectly the makeup of the powerful European Commission — thus helping to shape EU policies over the coming five years.
While centrist mainstream parties are projected to hold most of the incoming European Parliament’s 720 seats, polls suggest they will be weakened by a stronger far right pushing the bloc towards ultraconservatism.
Many European voters, hammered by a high cost of living and fearing immigrants to be the source of social ills, are increasingly persuaded by its populist messaging.
Hungarian voter Ferenc Hamori, 54, said he wanted to see the 27-nation bloc led more by politicians like his country’s right-wing leader Viktor Orban.
Orban “will win the elections here, but he will still be outnumbered in Brussels,” the physical education teacher told Agence France-Presse in a village near Budapest.
Battleground France
France will be the EU’s high-profile battleground for the competing ideologies.
With voting intentions above 30 percent, Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally is predicted to handily beat President Emmanuel Macron’s liberal Renaissance party, polling at 14-16 percent.
Le Pen is hoping to form a far-right supergroup in the European Parliament. But analysts predict disagreements with other hard-right parties — especially over military help for Ukraine, something Le Pen is leery of — will scupper that.
In Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, the election could likewise deal a blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz — whose centre-left SPD is polling behind the far-right Alternative for Germany.
