Elections to the European Parliament: Nothing changes for Russia
From May 23 to 26, EU member countries elected deputies to the supranational European Parliament. These ninth direct elections in Western and Central Europe with a population of half a billion people are important not only for the future of the EU, but also for its external partners, since they took place against the backdrop of sanctions against Russia and the imminent commissioning of the South Stream 2 gas pipeline ", the unresolved military conflict in Ukraine and Brexit hanging in the air.
The UK, until Brexit is finalized, is still a member of the EU, so it also had to go through the procedure of elections to the European Parliament.
Let’s not forget that the EU still looms as a tempting carrot in front of the noses of the ruling “European romantics” in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Armenia. And the further tossing and turning of these post-Soviet republics will depend on how profoundly the balance of power in the European Parliament changes.
Finally, it was interesting to observe how Europeans, like Americans during the 2016 presidential elections, played the “Russian card”: the influence of the ubiquitous “Russian hackers” on various spheres of European life, the “Russian trace” in Brexit and the Catalan independence movement, labeling “pro-Russian” to demonize opposition politicians, and other unsportsmanlike methods of manipulating the opinions of voters.
Every year, more and more Europeans become disillusioned with local and supranational authorities busy serving the interests of Americans at the expense of European interests, inadequate love for migrants, militant political correctness, commitment to globalization and a slide towards confrontation with Russia. Except Poland. In this country, confrontation with Russia and the hegemonic plans of the United States in Europe are viewed favorably.
In general, the 2019 European Parliament elections are interesting because Eurosceptics, who have escaped from the marginal ghetto (where they were persistently driven by the ruling tolerists), intend to noticeably fragment the political picture of the EU, adding to it the missing colors and revitalization.
In the EU, parties that put forward clear and understandable programs are becoming increasingly popular among voters: “green” (advocating environmental protection and the human right to live in a clean world, but at the same time exploiting such fashionable mass phobias as GMOs and “global warming” "), nationalists (demanding greater sovereignty and strict control over migration flows) and even some left-wing liberals who harshly criticize national populists, forcing them not to cross the line beyond which nationalism is no longer distinguishable from fascism.
The published election results indicate that there are more Eurosceptics and nationalists in the new composition of the new European Parliament. The biggest surprise was not only the EU record turnout at polling stations - almost 51% - but also the election results in France and Italy. The National Rally party of Marine Le Pen and the Northern League of Matteo Salvini, which oppose anti-Russian sanctions and for recognition of Crimea as Russian, have noticeably increased their presence in the European Parliament.
In Germany, especially in the eastern states, there is a noticeable increase in sympathy for the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, which has demonstrated its readiness to cooperate with Moscow. In the federal states of Saxony and Brandenburg, the AfD is in the lead.
Another donut is 82-year-old Berlusconi, who has special ties with Putin, who at one time transferred a number of advanced Italian military technologies to Russia, and is now also a European deputy.
All this, of course, is uplifting and once again proves that in pan-European politics the share of Eurosceptics will steadily grow, but not so much as to radically affect the current course of the European Union.
In Ukraine, the results of the elections to the European Union became a reason for celebration: “Putin’s friends did not pass!”, despite the fact that the number of “friends of Ukraine” in the EU legislative body has significantly decreased.
The European People's Party (a coalition of center-right, Christian Democrats, and people's parties) received the largest number of seats in the EP for the next five years. Its deputies will occupy 179 seats out of 751 seats (-38 mandates).
The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats took second place - 150 seats (-37 mandates).
The top three is closed by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (Macron's party and others) - 107 seats (+38 mandates).
Deputies of the Green Group and the European Free Alliance received 70 seats (+18), representatives of the Group of European Conservatives and Reformists - 58 mandates. Elected representatives from the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy received 56 mandates, and representatives of the Europe of Nations and Freedom Group received 58.
Another 39 seats in the European Parliament will be occupied by deputies of the Confederative Group of the European United Left and the Nordic Green Left. Seven seats will be occupied by independent deputies.
In total, four centrist parties received 506 seats out of 751 (67,4%). Compared to the last elections, their losses amounted to 19 mandates. Eurosceptics and nationalists earned a total of 172 mandates (approximately 23%), while the left received 38 mandates (5%).
The Russian Union of Latvia received 6% of the votes and retained its presence in the European Parliament. 17% of the Harmony party provided the former Riga mayor Nil Ushakov and his former deputy Andris Ameriks with an honorary exile, practically a sinecure.
A curious picture of voter preferences has emerged in Poland. The country was split in half. The western voivodeships and Warsaw spoke for the liberals, while the eastern ones - for the conservatives with a socialist bent. It’s too early to draw conclusions, but it would be interesting to observe the process in dynamics.
In general, the picture is clear. The catastrophe of liberal Europe is cancelled. Eurosceptics gained more seats in the European Parliament, but they are clearly not enough to change the course of European politics. And this is all the more surprising given that the previous elections in 2014 took place before millions of migrants flocked to Europe.
For Russia, this means that everything will continue as before. God bless him that “Putin’s friends” did not pass. It is much worse that the friends of Europe, the exponents of European, not globalist interests, did not win. True, even before there were no particular illusions that the relative rise of the nationalists would change anything for the better for us. Even if Eurosceptics want to change course, they will not have the strength to do so in the conditions of intense political struggle and general confusion.
In the coming years, the European Union will be busy with internal problems, first of all, with building some new development model. During this period, relations with the EU become unproductive for external partners. At most, you can try to maintain the current bad world; there can be no talk of a radical paradigm shift.
European Parliament Elections : Nothing Changes for Russia