Election News

Right-Wing Nationalist Parties Dominate European Parliament Elections

Published

6 months ago

2024-06-09

Geoff Brown

2024 European Elections: File Image

Early exit polls from the European Parliament elections on Sunday show voters punishing ruling leftist parties and throwing unprecedented support behind right-wing nationalist parties, most notably in France, where disastrous results for French President Emmanuel Macron’s coalition forced him to dissolve the National Assembly and call snap elections.

Voting to elect the European Union’s regional lawmakers for the next five-year term ended with the last remaining polls in Italy, as surging far-right parties dealt a body blow to two of the bloc’s most important leaders: French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Official results were anticipated shortly after Italian polling booths closed at 11 p.m., marking the end of a four-day marathon election in 27 EU member countries. The European Union’s early estimate indicated that right-wing nationalist parties had achieved significant gains in the European Parliament.

Marine Le Pen victorious

In France, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party dominated the polls to the point where Macron dissolved the national parliament and called for new elections, posing a significant political risk because his party could suffer further losses, jeopardizing the remainder of his presidential term, which expires in 2027.

Le Pen was delighted to accept the task. “We’re ready to turn the country around, ready to defend the interests of the French, ready to put an end to mass immigration,” she added, repeating the rallying cry of numerous far-right politicians in other countries celebrating significant victories.

Macron recognized the thud of loss. “I’ve heard your message, your concerns, and I won’t leave them unanswered,” he said, adding that calling a quick election only strengthened his democratic credentials.

In Germany, the most populous country in the 27-member bloc, forecasts showed that the AfD would overcome a string of controversies surrounding its top candidate to grow to 16.5%, up from 11% in 2019. In comparison, the combined result of the three parties in Germany’s ruling coalition barely exceeded 30%.

Rise of Right-Wing Nationalists

Scholz’s dismal fate meant that his long-standing Social Democratic party dropped behind the right-wing Alternative for Germany, which soared to second place. “After all the prophecies of doom, after the barrage of the last few weeks, we are the second strongest force,” a joyful AfD leader Alice Weidel exclaimed.

The four-day polls in the 27 EU countries were the world’s second-largest exercise in democracy, trailing only India’s recent election. Finally, the growth of the right-wing nationalists was even more surprising than many analysts projected.

The French National Rally crystallized it, with over 30%, or roughly twice as much as Macron’s pro-European centrist Renew party, which is expected to reach 15%.

Across the EU, two major and pro-European parties, the Christian Democrats and the Socialists, remained dominant. The extreme right’s gains came at the expense of the Greens, who were anticipated to lose approximately 20 seats and drop to sixth place in the legislature. Macron’s pro-business Renew faction also suffered significant losses.

For decades, the European Union, founded on the defeat of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy, relegated the hard right to the political outskirts. With its impressive performance in these elections, the far right might potentially play a significant role in issues ranging from migration to security and climate.

Leftist Parties Decimated

Former EU leader and current Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk defied the trend, defeating Law and Justice, the national conservative party that controlled Poland from 2015 to 2023, and driving it even more to the right. According to one poll, Tusk’s party received 38% of the vote, while his fiercest rival won 34%.

“Of these large, ambitious countries, of the EU leaders, Poland has shown that democracy, honesty and Europe triumph here,” Tusk stated to his backers. “I am so moved.” He said, “We showed that we are a light of hope for Europe.”

Germany, a traditional stronghold for environmentalists, exemplified the Greens’ defeat, with their vote share expected to decline from 20% to 12%. With further defeats predicted in France and elsewhere, the Greens’ defeat might have an impact on the EU’s overall climate change policies, which remain among the most progressive in the world.

The center-right Christian Democratic group of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which had already reduced its green credentials before the polls, prevailed in Germany with over 30%, handily defeating Scholz’s Social Democrats, who slumped to 14%, trailing just the AfD.

“What you have already set as a trend is all the better – strongest force, stable, in difficult times, and by a long distance,” von der Leyen told her German fans via video link from Brussels.

In addition to France, the far right, which concentrated its campaign on migration and crime, was predicted to make substantial gains in Italy, where Premier Giorgia Meloni was expected to consolidate her position.

Return to Nationalism

Voting in Italy proceeded late into the evening, and many of the 27 member states had yet to release forecasts. Nonetheless, previously available data reinforced earlier predictions: the elections will push the bloc to the right, reshaping its destiny. This might make it more difficult for the EU to adopt legislation, and decision-making in the world’s largest trading bloc could become paralyzed at times.

EU legislators, who serve five-year terms in the 720-seat Parliament, have a vote on matters ranging from financial regulations to climate and agriculture policy. They approve the EU budget, which funds objectives such as infrastructure projects, farm subsidies, and aid to Ukraine. They also have a veto over appointments to the powerful European Commission.

These elections come at a critical time for voter confidence in a group of around 450 million people. The coronavirus epidemic, an economic downturn, and an energy crisis fueled by Europe’s largest land dispute since World War II have all shook the EU during the last five years. However, political campaigns frequently focus on topics of significance in specific countries rather than broader European objectives.

Since the last EU election in 2019, populist or ight-wing parties have led governments in three countries: Hungary, Slovakia, and Italy, and they are part of ruling coalitions in Sweden, Finland, and, soon, the Netherlands. Polls show that populists have an advantage in France, Belgium, Austria, and Italy.

“Right is good,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who heads a staunchly nationalist and anti-migrant administration, told reporters after casting his vote. “To go right is always preferable. “Go right!”

Source: AP

Election News

Democrats Now Leaderless After Trump Presidential Win

Published

3 weeks ago

2024-11-07

Geoff Brown

Democrats Leaderless After Trump Presidential Win

Democrats spent billions of dollars with the legacy media to try and create fear among American voters that Donald Trump posed an imminent threat to democracy; in the end, voters didn’t care. They chose to believe their own eyes and not the rhetoric.

Following Kamala Harris’ decisive loss, the Democrats are now entering a second Trump presidency without a clear leader, a clear plan, or an accord on the reasons for their significant miscalculations in the 2024 election.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent and former Democratic primary candidate, had warned Harris before Election Day that she was focusing too much on flipping Republican votes and not enough on pocketbook issues. He issued a statement excoriating party leadership.

“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” he said. “First, it was the white working class, and now it is Latino and Black workers as well.

While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right.”

Trump’s promises to impose tariffs on both allies and foes and his threats to American businesses contemplating the relocation of jobs offshore were alluring to union workers.

Alexandra Rojas, the executive director of the far-left Justice Democrats, told AP that the party’s leadership must “accept responsibility for that a second”Donald Trump presidency was once again feasible under their supervision.”

Rojas charged that the Democratic Party is los”ng legitimacy among the everyday people and marginalized communities, who are continuously used as stepping stones to win elections. She also acknowledged that “there are no easy answers for where we as a coun”ry and movement go from here.”

The data indicates that Democrats have” substantial work to do.

Faiz Shakir, the Democratic strategist who oversaw Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, is concerned that Sanders’s Democratic Party will fail to engage in the necessary introspection after this catastrophic defeat.

He asserted that “a healthy party is challenging itself to conduct”that type of autopsy and hear what we did wrong.” “I am not even aware that such a process will occur. He asks, “Will the Democratic Party’s well-paid consultant and big-money interParty learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign?”

“Will they comprehend the political alienation and pain that tens of millions of Americans are currently experiencing?” Do they have any suggestions for how we can confront the Oligarchy, which is gaining economic and political influence at an accelerated pace? It is unlikely, he said.

Source: AP

Despite All the Odds, Donald Trump Gets Elected

Despite All the Odds Donald Trump Elected 47th President

Election News

Kamala Concession Speech Trends on Google

Published

3 weeks ago

2024-11-06

Geoff Brown

One day after former President Donald Trump’s historic re-election, Vice President Kamala Harris conceded the presidential race and vowed to maintain unity. Her concession speech trended on Google with over 5 million searches.

“I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign, but I do concede this election.” She stated, “In our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States.”

Kamala Harris acknowledged that there was no viable strategy for obtaining the presidency even though her speech was not what she intended.

In the center of Washington, DC, Harris delivered a speech at her alma mater, Howard University. Harris expressed her gratitude to the hundreds of campaign workers and volunteers who worked assiduously on her campaign and to the tens of millions of voters who cast their votes for her.

Kamala Harris also stated that the country should unite for a peaceful power transfer despite the agony of losing.

She said, “We must acknowledge the outcomes of this election.” “I conversed with President-elect Trump earlier today and congratulated him on his victory.”

I also informed him that we would assist him and his team during his transition and participate in a peaceful transfer of power.

In the interim, Sen. Bernie Sanders issued a caustic statement regarding the presidential election results, accusing the Democratic Party of having “abandoned” working-class voters. It’s unsurprising that “a Democratic Party that has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them.”

Sanders, who secured re-election last night, stated that the party’s white working-class voters were the first to quit and that it now appears that Latino and Black workers are following suit. “The American people are enraged and desire change despite the Democratic leadership’s defense of the status quo,” he stated. “And they’re right.”

Trump and Vance were also congratulated on their electoral victory by former President Obama, who ardently campaigned for Harris in the final stretch before Election Day. This was announced in a statement published today.

“This is obviously not the outcome we had hoped for, given our profound disagreements with the Republican ticket on a whole host of issues,” according to him. “But living in a democracy is about recognizing that our point of view won’t always win out, and being willing to accept the peaceful transfer of power.”

Taylor Swift Supports Kamala Harris as a Steadyhanded Leader

Taylor Swift Supports Kamala Harris as a “Steadyhanded” Leader.

Election News

Despite All the Odds Donald Trump Elected 47th President

Published

3 weeks ago

2024-11-06

Geoff Brown

Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States.

On Wednesday, Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States, a remarkable turnaround for a former president who refused to concede defeat four years ago.

Trump achieved the 270 electoral votes required to secure the presidency with a victory in Wisconsin. On Wednesday afternoon, he emerged victorious in Michigan, conquering the “blue wall” with Pennsylvania.

On Wednesday afternoon, Vice President Kamala Harris contacted President-Elect Trump to congratulate her and acknowledge his victory in the election. Shortly thereafter, Vice President Biden conversed with Trump to extend his congratulations and invitation to the White House.

Foreign leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also phoned Trump.

“I would like to express my gratitude to the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected as your 47th and 45th president,” Trump addressed a crowd of enthusiastic supporters in Florida before officially confirming their victory.

“Today, you demonstrated unprecedented attendance to secure a victory, and we have endured an immense amount of hardship together,” Trump said. This was truly exceptional, and we will repay you,” he added.

Upon his return to office, Trump will collaborate with a Senate that is now under Republican control, while the House’s governance remains uncertain.

Elon Musk’s Tesla, banks, cryptocurrencies, and the U.S. stock market all surged Wednesday as investors anticipated a smooth election and Trump’s return to the White House.

Trump has pledged to implement an agenda that prioritizes the substantial revamping of the federal government during his second term.

When Trump assumes office on January 20, he will face various challenges, such as global crises testing America’s influence abroad and heightened political polarization.

Trump has pledged to revolutionize nearly every facet of the American government. This encompasses the intention to initiate the most extensive deportation operation in the nation’s history, once more pursue a zero-sum approach to foreign policy, and increase the use of tariffs.

Upon his arrival in Washington in 2017, Trump was unfamiliar with the mechanisms of federal authority. Congress, the judiciary, and senior staff members who acted as guardrails impeded his agenda.

This time, Trump has declared that he will surround himself with allies who will execute his agenda without question and arrive with hundreds of proposed executive orders, legislative proposals, and in-depth policy papers.