Voting Enters Its Final Day; Speculations About a 'Rightward Shift' in the European Parliament

Voting on Sunday, June 9, concludes a four-day election in the European Union to elect 720 members of the European Parliament, which began on Thursday in the Netherlands. According to the Associated Press, polling stations opened in twenty EU countries on Sunday as voters participate in an election expected to see a stronger presence of 'right-wing' parties in the European Parliament, potentially altering the future trajectory of the world's largest trading bloc. The war in Ukraine, the impact of climate policies on farmers, and immigration are some of the issues occupying voters' minds from Portugal in the west to Austria, Poland in the east, and Cyprus in the Mediterranean. The report states that an unofficial poll after voting on Thursday in the Netherlands showed that the 'far-right anti-immigrant' party led by Geert Wilders gained none of the 29 seats in the European Parliament, whereas in the 2019 elections, it failed to secure even a single seat. If this trend continues, passing laws and decision-making will become more challenging for lawmakers. However, polls indicate that mainstream pro-EU parties will maintain their majority in Parliament. According to the Associated Press, since the last EU elections in 2019, populist or 'far-right' parties now lead the governments of three countries: Hungary, Slovakia, and Italy, and are part of the ruling coalition in other countries, including Sweden, Finland, and soon the Netherlands. Polls also indicate a dominance of 'populists' in France, Belgium, Austria, and Italy. The elections in this bloc of 450 million people are taking place as the EU has grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic over the past five years, witnessed an economic recession, and faced an energy crisis due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, described as the largest war in Europe since World War II. The European Parliament decides on laws ranging from financial regulations to climate or agricultural policies, approves the EU budget, and allocates funding for the EU's political priorities, such as infrastructure projects, agricultural subsidies, or aid provided to Ukraine. Shahin Modarres: The EU must change its policy towards the Islamic Republic; individuals like Josep Borrell are an obstacle in this regard. The Polish Prime Minister emphasized the importance of the European Parliament elections for the future of his country. European lawmakers criticized EU officials' response to the death of Raisi: 'Do not express solidarity with the perpetrators of the repression of Iranians.' Associated Press: The European parliamentary elections are held under the shadow of attacks on politicians.