A man runs past a poster in front of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, May 26, 2019. The European Parliament (EU) elections started in Belgium on Sunday. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
by Xinhua writer Wang Zichen
BRUSSELS, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The landscape of European politics is changing as far-right and nationalist politicians made strong gains in the European Parliament (EP) elections although parties committed to strengthening the European Union (EU) retained over two-thirds of the seats.
This year's elections saw a record-high turnout as nearly 51 percent of the 426 million eligible voters in the 28-member bloc voted from May 23 to 26.
"For the first time in 25 years we have a turnout that is increasing more than 50 percent. Europe is back! This is the first big news of the elections," said Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the EP's third-largest group ALDE Group and former Belgian prime minister.
Since the last EP elections five years ago, the EU has been shaken by refugee crises, multiple terrorist attacks, Brexit, and unprecedented bullying from across the Atlantic.
Eurosceptics have been on the rise in these years, and recent polls ahead of the elections fueled speculations as to whether there would be a continent-wide shift to far-right or Eurosceptic parties.
Early results of the elections showed those who want to chip away at the EU's powers made gains at the expense of two traditional leading parties, but not substantial enough to turn the boat.
FURTHER FRAGMENTATION
For four decades, the EP has witnessed a "grand coalition" of the center-right and center-left parties, as they controlled over half the seats in the EP.
This year, both of them -- the Group of European People's Party (EPP) and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) -- lost dozens of seats, being deprived of a majority for the first time.
Early results showed the EPP won 179 seats and the S&D 150 seats, together making up less than half of the 751-member legislature.
The centrist ALDE Group and the Greens ranked third and fourth in the EP, with 107 and 70 seats respectively.
Meanwhile, Eurosceptics have made some notable gains. In France, it appears that the far-right National Rally (NR) party led by Marine Le Pen, a long-time critic of the EU, edged over President Emmanuel Macron's party.
According to Bernard Sananes, president of Elabe polling institute, the NR benefited from citizens' disappointment which led to Macron's setback.
In Italy, the Eurosceptic League led by Interior Minister Matteo Salvini emerged as the winner.
In Germany however, the anti-EU and anti-migrant Alternative for Germany party won a smaller share than it did in the 2017 national elections and the far-right party made no gains in the Netherlands.
"The results of the European Parliament elections showed that the right-wing forces will increase their influence in the European Parliament, but will not affect the process of European integration much, because the vast majority of political forces still advocate further integration in Europe," said Gu Xuewu, director of the Center for Global Studies at Germany's University of Bonn.
GREEN WAVE
One key outcome from the elections is the elevation of the Greens in European politics, as it now becomes the fourth-largest group in the EP and is set to win big in Europe, notably its economic powerhouse Germany.
The party stands to be the second-largest vote-getter in Germany, doubling its share from around 10 percent five years ago to over 20 percent this year.
In France, the Europe Ecologie-Les Verts is now projected to win 13.1 percent of the vote, making it the third-largest political force trailing behind those under Le Pen and Macron.
Climate action was also frequently promised by Frans Timmermans, lead candidate of the center-left S&D, the second-largest group in the EP, which suggested that the subject has been embraced by a wider audience.
Analysts said that the EP's impetus to follow the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals and raise climate targets might shape its internal and external policies for years to come.
"Particularly, issues of environmental protection and climate change will grow to be political issues of greater concern in Europe due to the good performance of the Green Party in the elections," Gu said.
"The new EU leaders are unlikely to ignore these changes in the future. Instead, they may make more efforts in this area," he said.
LEADERSHIP RACE
Now that the seats in the EP have been decided, who would take up command at the EU institutions -- especially at its executive branch -- is in the limelight.
On Sunday night, three top contenders for the presidency of the European Commission took turns to speak to reporters in the EP in Brussels, among whom Manfred Weber, lead candidate from the largest EPP group, promised stability while the other two heavyweights called for a change.
The current European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, won his office in 2014 because he was the lead candidate of the then largest group EPP at the time, but European leaders are not on the same page as to whether they would repeat that practice this year.
As EU governments and heads of state will meet for a summit on Tuesday in Brussels, they will discuss the outcome of the vote and start the nomination process for the heads of the EU institutions.
"First decisions on the package of EU top jobs should be expected (at the earliest) from the European Council meeting on June 20/21, when EU leaders will also discuss the Commission's agenda for the next term," said a research note from German multinational investment company Deutsche Bank.
As pro-European parties maintain a clear majority in the EP, "EU policy-making should broadly stay on course," the note said.
"It remains to be seen to what extent shifts among the centrist parties will increase support for further initiatives for EU risk-sharing and investment as well as ideas for a new European social contract," it said.
