Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Monday 27 May 2019

Countries to watch as divided Europe chooses its parliament

Associated Press last year after months of Britain wasn’t supposed to
BRUSSELS (AP) — As voters in wrangling and has since take part in the European
all 28 European Union coun- been marred by infighting; Parliament elections at all,
tries elect a new shared and on the future of their but had to organize a last-
parliament, here are some leaders. minute campaign when its
key races to watch in the The Greens appeared set planned March exit from
battle to fill the 751 seats in to confirm a surge in sup- the EU was postponed.
the European Parliament: port in recent polls amid The British voting Thursday
ITALY concern over climate came amid intense po-
Italy’s anti-migrant, anti- change, finishing second. litical turmoil sparked by its
Islam interior minister, Mat- The far-right Alternative for 2016 referendum to quit the
teo Salvini, has been cam- Germany, though, was set EU. Embattled Prime Min-
paigning hard to boost his for an indifferent perfor- ister Theresa May will now
right-wing League party to mance. step down as Conservative
become the No. 1 party in HUNGARY Party leader on June 7 after
Italy and possibly Europe. A young boy with a balloon walks by a sign erected by climate Hungarian Prime Minister failing to deliver Brexit.
Salvini has been using his activists outside the European Parliament in Brussels, Sunday, Viktor Orban describes the Both Britain’s Conservatives
hard-line credentials to May 26, 2019. European Parliament vote and the Labour Party are
expand a parliamentary Associated Press as “decisive” for Hungary predicted to be heading
group of European populists direction. That’s bad news — easily beating the tradi- and Europe, an opportu- for an electoral pasting in
that already includes far- not just for Macron — but tional conservative party nity for populist and anti- the European vote due to
right politicians in France, also for the French leader’s the Republicans, far-left migration forces to have the chaos over Brexit.
Germany and Austria. Sal- grand ambitions for a more Defiant France and once- a larger say in setting the Britain’s Brexit party, led
vini is promising to restore united Europe. dominant Socialist Party. agenda in Brussels. by Nigel Farage, has ap-
sovereignty over key issues It’s sweet revenge for Le As far-right parties court- While his party’s victory in peared to gain strength in
like immigration to national Pen, runner-up to Macron ed the youth vote, Le Pen Hungary is unquestioned, recent voter surveys.
capitals, thwarting the EU’s in France’s 2017 presiden- turned to 23-year-old Jor- where the allegiances of AUSTRIA
drive toward closer integra- tial race. And it’s a boost dan Bardella to lead her Orban and his right-wing Fi- A projection for Austrian
tion of its members. for her efforts to spread her National Rally party to vic- desz party will lie after the public television and the
In Europe, the populists will anti-EU message beyond tory. He called the result a election on the European country’s national news
find it difficult to deliver on France’s borders. For Le “clear punishment” both scene is far less certain. agency points to a big win
their transformation prom- Pen, the race was a battle for Macron and the EU it- Fidesz’s membership in for Chancellor Sebastian
ises. But Salvini is also look- to preserve European civi- self. the center-right European Kurz’s center-right party in
ing to capitalize on the lization from the threat of GERMANY People’s Party, currently the European Parliament
outcome of the European “massive immigration” and Germany’s governing par- the largest group in the EU election, with the far-right
elections to boost his pow- uncontrolled globalization. ties are headed for their legislature, was suspended Freedom Party finishing
er at home in the League’s Macron wants EU countries worst post-World War II re- in March because of con- far behind in third place.
uneasy populist ruling coali- to share budgets and sol- sults in a nationwide elec- cerns about the state of That would be a big boost
tion with the left-wing 5-Star diers and work even more tion, with the environmen- Hungary’s democracy. So for Kurz before a national
Movement. closely together to keep talist Greens emerging as Orban has spent the past election expected in Sep-
Salvini could use European Europe globally relevant the big winner. few weeks hosting far-right, tember.
electoral gains to leverage and prevent conflict. For Chancellor Angela nationalist and populist pol- Heinz-Christian Strache quit
his position in the govern- Macron, Le Pen represents Merkel’s center-right Union iticians at his new office in last weekend as vice chan-
ment and pass policies the “leprosy” of nationalism bloc was easily the biggest Buda Castle. cellor and Freedom Party
important to his base of that is eating the EU from party, exit polls indicated, Orban says he wants to leader after a leaked video
northern Italian entrepre- within. but with support of less than stay in the center-right bloc showed him appearing to
neurs, like a flat tax or the Polling agency projections 30%. The picture looks di- while getting the EPP to co- offer favors to a purport-
high-speed train connect- Sunday night showed Le sastrous for their center-left operate more closely with ed Russian investor during
ing Lyon, France, with Turin. Pen’s National Rally party partners in an often-frac- nationalist and populist a boozy meeting on the
FRANCE in the lead in France’s vot- tious “grand coalition,” the parties like Salvini’s League. Spanish island of Ibiza two
Anti-immigration, far-right ing, with Macron’s govern- Social Democrats, who are That notion has been em- years ago. Kurz then called
flagbearer Marine Le Pen ing Republic on the Move set to score well under 20%. phatically rejected by for a new election and
looks set for victory over party in second place. It remains to be seen what leading politicians from is now running an interim
pro-EU centrist President France’s Greens party was effect those results will have the EPP, including German government with experts
Emmanuel Macron in their projected to come in a sur- on the governing coalition, Chancellor Angela Merkel. replacing the Freedom Par-
epic battle over Europe’s prisingly strong third place which took office in March BRITAIN ty’s ministers.q