Millions head to polls on final day as right looks for surge

Europeans in 20 countries will vote on the biggest and final day of European Parliament voting.

The EU vote is particularly important in a crucial election year on a continent marked by political polarization and rising nationalism.

eve of voting Frequent violence – Although the attack left Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen with a minor whiplash and forced her to stop campaigning, it was not seen as politically motivated.

Europe’s main center-right groups are expected to come out on top in the EU when the first forecasts emerge later on Sunday, but all three parties on the far right are eyeing winning the most seats across the country.

France’s National Rally party, Brotherhood of Italy and Austria’s Freedom Party are leading in the polls, as is Belgium’s separatist and anti-immigration Flames party.

Voting has started in some EU countries on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but most EU member states will vote on Sunday. The European Parliament is the direct link between Europeans and the EU institutions.

Sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds in Germany and Belgium will be able to vote for the first time, increasing the size of the youth vote in Europe. Young Austrians and Maltese have been able to vote from the age of 16 for some time, and Greeks from the age of 17.

In Germany alone, there are 1.4 million eligible 16- and 17-year-olds out of about 5 million first-time voters, so they can influence the outcome.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) claims to have successfully attracted young people through activities on social media platforms such as TikTok.

Belgian Also vote in federal and regional elections and the European polls. Voting in Belgium is compulsory, but there was little enthusiasm among young Belgians ahead of the vote in the Flemish town of Aalst.

Vlaams Belang has won there before, although so far no other party has been willing to cooperate with it. One young woman, Simone, said young people were particularly keen on their anti-immigration stance: “They like their policies towards people coming from abroad.”

Many young voters in the town interviewed by the BBC said they were undecided how to vote at European or national level.

Dutch anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders visited Ulster on the eve of the vote to boost Flams Béran’s chances of victory.

Dutch Voters head to the polls on Thursday and exit polls already show his party narrowly trailing the left-wing Green Alliance. The results won’t be known until Sunday night.

European voters’ priorities have changed dramatically since the last vote in 2019, with the Russia-Ukraine war and the cost of living now taking center stage, while immigration, health and the economy are also key. Five years ago, British voters took part in the last election before Brexit.

“We want Europe to be able to defend itself,” said Ursula von der Leyen, who has been president of the European Commission for the past five years and is running for re-election. These elections will also play an important role in deciding who serves in the EU executive.

But voters are influenced by national issues as much as European politics, as the Dutch exit poll highlighted, which showed these issues were equally important to 48% of voters.

The biggest game on Sunday is at Germany96 of the 720 seats in the parliament are at stake.

Von der Leyen’s Germany’s conservative CDU/CSU is widely expected to win, while the biggest battle is for second place, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats dominated by their coalition partners the Greens and Opposition AfD challenge.

Violent attacks occurred in some EU countries on the eve of the vote, and in Germany politicians and activists were targeted.

In the eastern city of Dresden, Social Democratic candidate Matthias Eke was seriously injured in an attack by teenagers and a Green Party activist was attacked, while in Berlin a former minister was shot in the head.

Interior Minister Nancy Feser warned of new dimensions of anti-democratic violence and said Germany’s laws and constitution “must and will continue to strengthen the protection of democratic forces in our country”.

Slovak President Robert Fico was shot and nearly killed last month while meeting supporters.

he He has since turned his anger towards his political opponents, An apparent attempt to increase support for his populist left-wing Smer party.

Denmark’s Social Democratic Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was knocked to the ground by a man on Friday, forcing her to halt her campaign despite no apparent political motive.

exist FranceMarine Le Pen’s National Rally hopes to increase its share of the country’s 81 seats, with polls showing a wide lead over President Emmanuel Macron’s Ennahda party and Raphael Glucksmann Renewed Socialist Party.

The centerpiece of the national rallies is Jordan Bardella, the 28-year-old leader who has led the European campaign.

The government takes Mr Bardera so seriously that Prime Minister Gabriel Attal joined him in a one-on-one debate to attack the party’s close ties with the Kremlin.

Macron’s party list for this election is headed by Valérie Hayer, a little-known politician compared to Jordan Bardella.

At the same time, in HungaryViktor Orban’s Fidesz party is facing one of the biggest challenges to its rule yet from Peter Magyar and his new centre-right Tisza party.

As with all big national contests, the real power in the European Parliament is held by political groups from different member states, and the centre-right European People’s Party, made up of conservative parties from across the EU, is widely expected to remain the largest party. political power in the House of Representatives.

There are few centre-left parties in power in Europe, but they are still expected to come in second place.

Two far-right groups – home to several far-right parties – are expected to increase their support.

Georgia Meloni’s Party Fraternity Italia belongs to the European Conservatives and Reform Party along with Spain’s Vox and the Sweden Democrats, while France’s National Rally is part of the Identity and Democratic Party, along with the Italian League Party and the Austrian Freedom Party.

That leaves the question of whether they are ready to work together, or whether they might find common ground with the center-right.

The biggest losers in this contest are likely to be centrists, including France’s Ennahda and Green parties. As one Green Party activist in Brussels said on the eve of the vote: “Everything has moved to the right”.