Voters in 21 European Union countries, including major players France and Germany, are concluding a four-day election for the European Parliament on Sunday. This election is anticipated to shift the assembly rightward and bolster Eurosceptic nationalists.
The election, involving 450 million EU citizens, will significantly influence how the European Union addresses critical challenges such as a hostile Russia, rising industrial competition from China and the United States, climate change, and immigration.
The voting began on Thursday in the Netherlands and continued in various countries on Friday and Saturday. However, most EU votes will be cast on Sunday, with France, Germany, Poland, and Spain opening their polls, and Italy holding its second day of voting.
The European Parliament plans to release an EU-wide exit poll at approximately 20:30 CET (19:30 WAT), followed by a first provisional result after 23:00 CET when the final votes in Italy have been cast.
Opinion polls indicate that pro-European liberals and Greens are likely to lose seats, diminishing the majority of the centre-right and centre-left and complicating efforts to enact new EU laws or enhance European integration.
Many voters are grappling with the cost-of-living crisis, concerns over migration, the expenses associated with the green transition, and rising geopolitical tensions, including the war in Ukraine. These issues have been capitalized on by hard and far-right parties, offering an alternative to the mainstream.
The European Greens are predicted to be among the significant losers, facing backlash from households, farmers, and industry over costly EU CO2 emission policies. The liberal group Renew Europe also faces grim forecasts, with expectations that Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement National will surpass French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance in France.
As the election results unfold, the future direction of EU policies and its approach to pressing global issues will be closely watched.
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