The Second Day of the European Parliament Elections is Underway

On Friday, June 8, the Irish went to the polls to elect their representatives to the European Parliament, following the Dutch who voted on Thursday, June 7. The European Parliament elections began on Thursday and will continue until Sunday, June 10. In this extensive election, approximately 370 million European voters in 27 EU member countries will elect 720 representatives for a five-year term. Pre-election polls indicated a growing support for far-right parties that oppose many EU policies. Simon Harris, the 37-year-old Prime Minister of Ireland from the Christian Democratic Party, was one of the first to cast his vote in Dublin on Friday morning. Kate O'Reilly, a 41-year-old computer science graduate, told AFP as she left a polling center, 'I admire his energy, but I won't vote for his party.' She added, 'They are wrong about many things, starting with immigration.' Dutch voters on Thursday elected seven representatives from the far-right party led by Geert Wilders to the European Parliament, but the Social Democrats coalition came first with eight seats. In France, Jordan Bardella, the lead candidate of the far-right party, is leading in the polls. The issue of immigration has become one of the main campaign topics for the European Parliament elections in several European countries. In Ireland, where about 20% of the population is born abroad and the number of refugees has reached a new record this year, this topic is hot. However, several analysts suggest that the anticipated increase in far-right seats in the European Parliament should not disrupt the balance of power in this European institution. According to polls, the Christian Democrats will remain the leading political force, followed by the Social Democrats as the second largest faction in the European Parliament.