Fascists and ultra-rights @ #EP2014:
25% France
23% Denmark
22% UK
20% Austria
15% Hungary
13% Finland
12% Greece
8% Germany— Wolfgang Lünenbürger @luebue@norden.social (@luebue) May 25, 2014
Despite a loss of votes the conservatives remain the strongest force in the EU Parliament, while right-wing populist and Eurosceptic parties made massive gains. Ukip and the Front National emerged as the clear winners in Britain and France. For some commentators European politics have been shaken to their very core. Others put their hopes in a revived debate about Europe
The exit polls are now starting to roll in and there are already some interesting stories emerging.
Turnout looks on course to be similar to 2009. The estimate for 2014 is 43.11% versus 43% in 2009. In Germany, turnout has increased from 43% to 48%. In France, the early signs are that turnout is around 43%, slightly up from 41%. There is however somewhat of an east-west divide, with Poland’s turnout down, 22.7% from 24.5%, Czech at around 20% and far lower than the 28% in 2009. Similarly, in Slovakia, turnout is an abysmal 13%. Italy’s vote is also down a lot. UK turnout is estimated at 36%, up from 34%.
According to initial estimates, Marine Le Pen’s National Front has won the European elections in France, with 25% of votes, or around 23 seats. EurActiv France reports
Without the 3% electoral threshold, 12 German parties could move into the European Parliament after Sunday?s (25 May) elections. Compared to the previous European elections in 2009, voter participation in Germany has increased by more than 4%. EurActiv Germany reports
The conservative governing party, the National Coalition, won the Finnish Parliament elections with 22.4% of the votes, closely followed by liberal opposition, the Centre Party, at 21%.
The UK Independence Party scored an expected yet resounding victory in the European Parliament elections
Against all odds, Europeans have averted yet another decline in voter turnout in the European Parliament elections, which remained stable at 43.1
The far-right Eurosceptic Danish People’s Party has won 26.7% of the votes and becoming by far the biggest Danish party in the Parliament with four seats. The party has doubled its mandates since 2009
Swedish voters in the European Parliament elections have punished the parties of the centre-right government coalition and in particular Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt’s Moderates,
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was on course for a sweeping victory in Sunday’s European election, with voter projections giving his centre-left Democratic Party (PD) a huge lead over the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement of ex-comic Beppe Grillo
For the first time in the political history of Greece, a leftist party won the first position in the EU elections, beating the ruling center-right New Democracy, and putting into question its political legitimacy.
Portugal’s main opposition Socialists won elections for the European Parliament yesterday (25 May) in an austerity-weary country which earlier this month exited an international bailout. In Spain, the opposition Socialists came second, but both centre-left and centre-right lost support compared to 2009
Syriza triumphs in Greece
Result confirmed radical party?s appeal to Greek voters devastated by the eurozone crisis, yet it was not expected to destabilise the governing coalition
Three shot dead at Jewish museum
BBC News | Europe
A gunman opens fire at the Jewish museum in the Belgian capital Brussels, killing three people and wounding another before fleeing the scene.
After the Revolution Comes Consensus
Wiki Leaks by EMILY CHERTOFF
Forty years ago, the enemy of democracy in Portugal was fascism. Now it’s just Europolitics.
For Some, Balkan Floods Have Caused Damage Akin to 1990s War
Mashable! by Andrew Freedman
The floodwaters are finally receding in parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia, after three month’s worth of rain fell in just two to three days, sending rivers roaring through towns and inundating farmlands
MAIN FOCUS: European elections kick off | 23/05/2014
euro|topics
Voting for the European elections began in the UK and the Netherlands on Thursday. Around 400 million people entitled to vote have until Sunday to decide who will sit in the European Parliament for the next five years.
European election kicks off with British and Dutch voters
Britain and the Netherlands go to the polls on Thursday, starting the ball rolling on elections to the European parliament that are expected to see a swing towards populist right-wing parties
Russian strategy to buy up Europe?s refineries exposed
EurActiv.com
Russia’s strategy of buying up oil refineries in Europe could compromise the bloc’s energy security, EU officials said in a draft report prepared for the region’s leaders.
Conservatives set for victory in Parliament elections in Finland
The conservative National Coalition is taking a clear lead over other political parties in Finland in the Parliament elections, according to the latest poll published by the public broadcaster Yle on Thursday (22 May).
In graphics: Big issues in European election
BBC News | Europe
The big issues in Europe’s election – in stark detail
Rise of National Front tarnishes France’s image
Political observers from across Europe believe that France?s image will be harmed if the far-right National Front party wins the EU elections. France is already considered the “sick man of Europe” and partners are worried that the country’s influence on the European and global stage could be further dented. The EurActiv Network reports.
Twitter hashtag backfires on UKIP ahead of elections
The UK Independence Party suffered a social media setback a day (21 May) before the European Parliament elections after its Twitter campaign hashtag was hijacked by internet jokers.
Dutch reformers hold ground as Wilders falters
Open Europe blog
We’ve already blogged about the Dutch #EP2014 exit poll but we thought we’d also break down the projected result according to the classifications we used in our recent briefingwhich forecast the composition of the new parliament. Rather than using the arbitrary and artificial EP political groups (which tell you little about what the parties actually believe), we classified the parties in three blocs – status quo/more integration, critical reformers, and the malcontents’ block (see here for a detailed explanation of these classifications)
European elections: European democracy? Part II
open Democracy News Analysis – by Adrià Rodriguez and Lotta Tenhunen
It could well be said that the Maastricht Treaty produced the conditions for the development of the current financial and political crisis. It erased the possibility of real cooperation and union among European societies. Part I here.
Marine Le Pen and Golden Dawn ‘flirting’
EurActiv.com
A post EU-election alliance between the French far-right National Front and the Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn is not entirely ruled out. EurActiv Greece reports.
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