Elections were held between 6 and 9 June for the 720-seat European Parliament in 27 European Union member countries. When the exit polls started arriving last night, the rise of the far right in Europe was the most striking factor. The current President Macron, who suffered a great defeat in France, decided to dissolve the parliament and call early general elections. The country will hold elections between June 30 and July 7.
HEAVY BLOW TO MACRON IN FRANCE
In the EP, seats are distributed in proportion to the population, and Germany is the country with the highest number of parliamentarians with 96, France with 81, and Italy with 76 seats.
The country where the results of the elections were felt most clearly and quickly was France.
According to exit polls, far-right Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) received 31.5 percent of the votes, an increase of 10 points compared to the last elections in 2019.
President Emanuel Macron’s liberal party, Rönesans, remained at 15 percent. Although these parties took the first two places in the 2019 elections, there was less than a 1 percent difference.
In France, the Socialist Party came in third place, receiving 14 percent of the votes, with a significant increase.
Having suffered a great defeat, President Macron decided to dissolve the parliament and call early general elections. The country will hold elections between June 30 and July 7.
Le Pen and her leading candidate, 28-year-old Jordan Bardella, were trying to turn the EP elections into a referendum against Macron.
Bardella called for early elections immediately after the exit polls were announced.
GERMANY AFD BECAME THE SECOND PARTY
The most striking result in Germany was the support received by the far right.
According to the exit polls, the conservative CDU/CSU became the first party with 30 percent of the votes, close to the 2019 elections.
The biggest curiosity in this country was the performance of the radical right AfD.
AfD increased its voting rate by around 5 percent compared to 5 years ago, reaching 16 percent.
AfD was expelled from the far-right group ID in the European Parliament due to its rhetoric acquitting the Nazis before the election. The party, which is currently out of the group, is expected to be represented in the parliament with 17 deputies.
Prime Minister Olaf Scholz’s party, SPD, remained at a record low of 14 percent of the votes and became the third party.
While all three parties in the coalition government lost support, the Greens experienced the biggest decline. The Greens’ support, which was 20.5 percent in 2019, dropped to 12 percent in these elections.
It is stated that these results will put the government in difficulty in Germany, where general elections will be held next year.
For the first time in Germany, 16 and 17 year olds were able to vote in these elections.
German public broadcaster ZDF stated that the support of voters under the age of 30 for the far-right AfD increased by 10 points compared to 5 years ago, while their support for the Greens decreased by 18 points.
MELONI RENEWED CONFIDENCE IN ITALY
In the European Parliament (EP) elections in Italy, the far-right Brothers of Italy Party (FdI), led by Giorgia Meloni, the major partner of the right-wing coalition government, increased its vote rate compared to the general elections in 2022.
According to unofficial results published in the Italian press, FdI became the first party in the EP elections with 28.8 percent of the votes. (BBC)
DEB FOUNDED BY TURKS BECAME THE FIRST PARTY IN WESTERN THRACE
In the European Parliament (EP) elections held on Sunday in Greece, the Friendship Equality Peace (DEB) Party, founded by the Turks, came first in 2 out of 3 provinces in Western Thrace.
According to the data announced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, following the unofficial results in which the ballot boxes were opened with a rate of 96 percent, the FEP Party became the first party with 36 percent of the votes in Rhodope, where Turks live densely, and 27 percent in Xanthi.
CELEBRATION WITH DRUM CIRNAL
Members, candidates and supporters who followed the election results at the party headquarters in Komotini celebrated their victory with enthusiasm, accompanied by traditional drums and pipes.
FEP Party President Çiğdem Asafoğlu told AA correspondent, “We are very happy. We were sure of this result. We said this everywhere we went. Today, our people once again supported both their cause and their party.” said.
Reminding that they were the first party in Rhodope and Xanthi in 2014 and 2019, Asafoğlu said that the Turks from Western Thrace showed their reaction to Athens and Brussels by going to the polls today.
“A SERIOUS MESSAGE HAS BEEN SENT TO MANAGERS”
Emphasizing that minority voters voted for the DEB knowing that they would not be able to elect deputies due to the 3 percent election threshold, Asafoğlu said, “The minority sent a very serious message to those who govern the country. Athens should stop ignoring the fact that there is a minority living here.”
Although the DEB came first in 2 of the 3 provinces in Western Thrace in the AP elections in 2014 and 2019, it could not send MPs to the AP because it could not exceed the 3 percent election threshold applied throughout the country.
A 3% THRESHOLD WAS IMPOSED SO THAT MINORITIES ARE NOT ELECTED
Known for his struggle for the rights of Western Thrace Turks, Dr. Sadık Ahmet was elected as an independent member of parliament with the highest number of votes in the general elections held in Greece in 1989.
The Greek administration introduced a 3 percent election threshold for both political parties and independent candidates to prevent Ahmet from being elected on October 24, 1990.
Parties and independent candidates must overcome the 3 percent election threshold applied throughout the country in order to enter the parliament.
Western Thrace Turks want the 3 percent election threshold to be removed on the grounds that it hinders political representation. (AA)
