By Pramod Raj Sedhain.
2014 European Parliament Elections faced the most uneasy circumstances in history. Anti-European Union and anti-immigrant far-rightest parties are sure to triumph in the European elections and gain the seats of all time high. This backdrop is not a good news for EU designer. The directly-elected decision-making body and trans-national political groups have a significant role to protect intregrated European Union. This time voting across the EU underwent moral difficulties indicating certainly anti-EU and anti immigration far-right party representatives dominance. Their voices seem to be louder inside the parliament. The voting trend has adversely broken the voting trend and traditions of EU intregation and rise of the right wing .
Far rightist have dominated in Britain, France, Belgium, Greece, Denmark and elsewhere. Anti-European Union parties are sure to get their strong position and get around 140 of 751 seats in the only major and directly elected new legislature, up from around 60 seats in previous elections. Unusually anti MEPs are elected is a significant meaning but not much greater influence on decision-making process. However, this scenario has increasingly pressurised and alarmed the institution. Atmosphere of growing Euro-skepticism has been a serious problem for better EU future. Deep-rooted political and financial crisis will be major debatable and doubtful issues in the parliament. EU countries have faced unemployemnt, bailout, economic upheaval since the start of the eurozone crisis in early 2009 and the hangover of financial crisis is still on.
France, the founding father of European integration and political heart of EU country, will have an affect and a significant meaning of this election. Turnout has been just over 40 percent in France but the result is surprising since the far-right National Front has led the polls with 25 percent with first position representation in the EU parliament . French ruling Socialist Party received just 14 percent of the vote with third position. Meanwhile, in the UK, UKIP emerged as the biggest party for the first time of history garnering 27.5% of the votes with 24 EU MEPs .
Turnout was 33.8 percent in the UK but results surprisingly anti-EU sentiment. The party garnered over 13 percent in comparision with the the 2009 European elections. That seems difficult for Britian to remain in the EU membership.
The nationalist far rightist Golden Dawn party gained three seats. Rise in Greece is also a surprising result. The extremist party leaders, among other five lawmakers, which still face criminal organization charge garnered 9.4 percent votes with third position in the country. Golden Dawn came in the fifth position in 2012 Greece general elections. Danish anti-EU party, Danish People’s Party received around 23 percent of the vote with 3 seats. Likewise, Germany’s anti-Euro party, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) won nearly 7 percent vote with seven seats in the European parliament. But in Germany, central right rulling party is comfortable.
Turnout across Europe is estimated at 43.01 percent – the first time highest in EU previous elections. The election total average vote percent in 2009 was 43 percent. The centre-right European People’s Party appears to have won 213 out of the 751 seats, with 28.36 percent across the bloc. The Socialist Alliance has 25.3 percent of the vote, the Liberals 9 percent, and the Greens 7 percent. The Eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Democracy group appeared to have about 5 percent. Anti-EU parties’ significant gains in the parlament elections result is an alarming sign. However, majority of the seats remain in control of pro-EU parties.
Far right has no mandate to suffle the integrated EU policy. Centre-right European People’s Party won the most seats in the 751-member EU legislature but no party has a clear majority. Pro-EU parties still are not yet defeated but if they fail to strongly initiate to reform EU institution and create a new hope, they might face more difficult elections positions in future elections. Communists have also gain in this election. In Greece, anti Austerity far-left Syriza party gained 28 percent of the vote, the largest representive in the country. Similary, the United Left coalition in Spain secured 10 percent of the vote securing third position .
EU parliament elections and turnover
In 1979, EU parlament had 9 member states – Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, the UK, Denmark and Ireland and the average vote turnover was 61.99 per cent. In 1984 elections, EU had ten members (with in Greece joining in 1981) and the average turnover was 58.98 percent. In 1989 elections, EU had 12 nations (with Spain and Portugal joining in 1986) the average turnover was 58.41 percent.
In 1994, EU had 12 Member States and the average turn over vote was 56.67 percent. Likewise, in 1999, the EU had 15 member (Austria, Sweden and Finland joining in 1995) and the average vote turnover was 49.51 percent. Similarly, in 2004, EU had 25 nations (with Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus and Malta joining in 2004 ) and the vote turnover was 45.47 percent. In 2009, EU had 27 states (with Bulgaria and Romania joining in 2007) and the turn-over was 43 percent. Likewise, in 2014, EU has 28 States (after Croatia joining in 2013) the turnover is 43.1 percent.
System of EU MEPs and overview of elections
With the joining of Coratia in 2013, the European Parliament (MEPs) had 766 members. However, the number in the 2014 elections has come down to 751. These MEPs will represent over 500 million citizens of the 28 member states allocated on the basis of countrys population. According to EU election officals, seats are allocated among various states, by the EU treaties, on the basis of ‘degressive proportionality’ (meaning countries with larger populations have more seats than smaller ones but the latter have more seats than strict proportionality would imply). Since 1979, EU has been directly elected by five-year term.
Seats per country in 2014 are Austria 18, Belgium 21, Bulgaria 17, Croatia 11, Cyprus 6, Czech Republic 21, Denmark 13, Estonia 6, Finland 13, France 74, Germany 96, Greece 21, Hungary 21, Ireland 11, Italy 73, Latvia 8, Lithuania 11, Luxembourg 6, Malta 6, Netherlands 26, Poland 51, Portugal 21, Romania 32, Slovakia 13, Slovenia 8, Spain 54, Sweden 20, and United Kingdom 73 seats.
According to THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: ELECTORAL PROCEDURES book, which was provided to election reporting journalists in Brussels, some EU states set a minimum threshold, which may not exceed 5 percent for the allocation of seats.
Several Member States apply a threshold: this is set at 5 percent in France (depending on the constituency), Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary; at 4 percent in Austria, Italy and Sweden; at 3 percent in Greece; and at 1.8 percent in Cyprus. In the two decisions taken in 2011 and 2014, the German constitutional court declared the country’s hitherto existing thresholds for European elections (5 percent, and 3 percent) to be unconstitutional. EU nations – Belgium, Cyprus, Greece and Luxembourg have compulsory voting system. Austria has a voting age of 16 but the voting age in most of the EU nations is 18. However, the voting age in Slovakia is 21, 23 in Romania, and 25 in Italy and Greece.
According to parliamentary regulations, every political group must be made up of 25 MEPs from at least 7 Member States. Parliament has different groups such as Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats), Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, European Conservatives and Reformists Group, Confederal Group of the European United Left – Nordic Green Left, Europe of freedom and democracy Group, Non-attached Members. In 2014 EU parliament, the record low turnout was in Slovakia with just 13 percent and compulsory voting implement highest turnover in Belgium with 90 percent .
(Writer is in field coverage the EU parliament elections 2014 )
