The European Union holds parliamentary elections every five years and its 28 member states choose a total of 751 lawmakers. Major commentaries say, as for the last elections in May, that a setback was made for the two major centrist political forces, both of the right and the left, while Euro-skeptic groups grew. These explanations focus on the EU itself and the immigration issue, but the results have shown more facts.

ERUPTED INDIGNATION AGAINST IMPOSITION OF AUSTERITY MEASURES

What is behind immigration policies?

Major two traditional groups in the European Parliament (conservatives and social-democratic parties) failed to keep the majority, losing their seats from 404 to 326. Meanwhile the EU-skeptic bloc of three right-wing parties rose to 171 seats from 155. So-called liberal middle-of-the-road bloc, including a ruling party of France, or the Macron’s party, obtained 109 seats, which were 68 previously. Green parties and those focusing on environmental issues grew from 52 to 69 in the parliament, which held down the Euro-skeptic groups as they kept some one-third of the seats. Many reports say, as a focal point, about leadership posts in the European Commission that will be held by the traditional groups and the pro-EU forces.

General situation, however, is far more complex. The immigration issue is easily dealt as a key point in the elections, but social gaps and poverty prevailing in expansion lie in the background of inflamed chauvinism that successfully blames incoming foreigners. Actually, the Euro-skeptic right-wing forces insist on ‘anti-elite’ and ‘anti-austerity policies’ like a populist.

An Italian party, Lega Nord, or the Northern League, has leaped tremendously, occupying 34% of the parliamentary seats, which was 6.2% five years ago. Its leader, Matteo Salvini, Vice-premier of Italy, told emphatically to the electorate the EU elections were a referendum to choose the elite or people, lobbyists or workers and banks or depositors. The party of Marine Le Pen of France won 22 seats, campaigning policies against the EU austerity measures like a leftist party, leaving the Macron’s ruling party behind, which gained 21 seats.

A plunge of the left and right centrist forces and a rise of anti-EU rightist bloc in the May elections reflect indignation of EU citizens against imposing harsh policies on people. Pro-EU liberal centrist bloc surged, including Macron’s governing party, but the French leader has been a target of accusations of the Yellow Vest movement. His party had only 22% of votes in favor, following the party of Le Pen. His bloc is the same as the former EU main groups.

Leftists were in dismay

Leftists were defeated by the rightist forces as the former were disunited. The European United Left/Nordic Green Left, which clearly had kept anti-austerity policies, has been defeated, reducing their seats from 52 down to 39. The Greek ruling SYRIZA, which sided with the stringent policy line due to EU pressures, fell to the second ranking party in the country, holding 24% of vote in favor. The PODEMOS of Spain and the Der Linke of Germany lost, too.

The United Left group was not the sole leftist bloc that refused the anti-people politics. In Germany criticism against the coalition of CDU and SPD was reflected in the result of a disastrous fall of SPD and a growth of the Greens, which reached the second position in the country. The right-wing AfD gained 11 seats rising from 7, while the Der Linke lost seats from seven to five.

The Greens in Germany are against the EU’s cruel policy line and support the Basic Income initiative, coping actively with problems of social gaps and poverty. The party played a role to receive voters’ distrust in the Social-Democratic Party, which Der Linke could not afford to.

The PODEMOS of Spain, too, lost seats down to a half, keeping six. The Socialist Workers’ Party grew, gaining 20 seats. The latter formed a coalition with the former to change its political line in favor of the austerity trend. The PODEMOS had grown rapidly four years ago, but failed, while the Socialist Workers’ Party regained voters’ support though it had been in impasse to collapse. A new right-wing party, Vox, obtained three seats, but it did not bloom in the same way as the AfD of Germany.

The Labor Party of Corbin lost a half of the seats, having 10 seats. It is because of the special circumstance in relation to Brexit.

June 11, 2019