European Parliament - 06/06/2009

No change in sight for Europe's political landscape

The biggest trans-national election takes place across the 27-member European Union between June 4 and 7. As many as 375 million voters are called upon to elect the 736 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) for a five-year term - though far fewer are expected to actually cast their ballot.

According to the latest polls, European Conservatives parties will retain their majority and even make gains, while the Socialists will remain the second strongest political force in the hemicycle. But the global economic crisis and widespread abstention could also favour a rise of various extremist and eurosceptic parties.

Conservatives currently hold the majority in the European Parliament. Their umbrella organisation, the Group of the European People's Party and European Democrats (EPP-ED), is the largest parliamentary group with 288 members. The EPP-ED includes several major national conservative parties, such as France's UMP and Germany's CDU, and is led by a French farmer, Joseph Daul.

With 216 MEPs, the Party of European Socialists (PES) is the second largest political force in the hemicycle. It includes social-democratic parties such as the French Socialist Party, the German SPD, and the British Labour Party. The PES is led by a German politician, Martin Schultz.

The group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe (ALDE) is the third political force in the European parliament. It includes 100 MEPs hailing from centrist parties, such as France's MoDem or Germany's FDP. Its leader is Scottish politician Graham Waltson.

The remaining seats are divided between smaller parties. Other groups on the left include the Greens, with 43 MEPs, led by Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Monica Frassoni, and various smaller leftist parties (41 MEPs). Anti-EU parties are gathered on the far right of the hemicycle, with 66 MEPs from eurosceptic groups, such as the Union for Europe of the Nations (UEN) and Independence/Democracy (IND-DEM)

30 MEPs have no affiliation to any group, because EU parliamentary rules say at least 20 MEPs from 6 different countries are required to form a political group.

European conservatives to make gains

The June 2009 elections are not expected to modify this European political balance. According to a study published by the London School of Economics and Political Science and Dublin's Trinity College, the Europe's Conservatives will remain the hemicycle's main political force, ahead of the Socialists and the Liberals.

While mainstream left-wing parties should remain the EU's second political force, extremist parties are tipped to benefit from record abstention levels. In the Netherlands, the party of far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders has come second in the country's elections for the European Parliament, with 17% of the vote, according to preliminary results.

Other extremist and anti-EU groups in Austria, Bulgaria, and Slovakia are poised to gain ground. Besides the worsening economic crisis, these parties are also campaigning on immigration fears and widespread anti-EU feelings among European voters.

The first meaningful European-wide results are expected to be published from 10pm (GMT+2) on Sunday.