Millions voting on final day of EU elections as right seeks surge
On Sunday, citizens from 20 European countries head to the polls in what is the largest and final day of voting for the European Parliament.
In a year marked by crucial elections, the EU vote holds particular significance in a continent grappling with polarized politics and rising nationalism.
The lead-up to the election has seen instances of violence, although an attack resulting in minor whiplash for Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, forcing her to suspend campaigning, is not believed to be politically motivated.
Projections later on Sunday are expected to show Europe’s main center-right grouping securing the top spot across the EU. However, three far-right parties are vying for the most seats nationally: France’s National Rally, Italy’s Brothers of Italy, and Austria’s Freedom Party, along with Belgium’s separatist and anti-immigration party, Vlaams Belang.
While voting commenced on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in some EU countries, the majority of member states are casting their ballots on Sunday. The European Parliament serves as the direct conduit between Europeans and the EU’s institutions.
Sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds will be able to vote for the first time in Germany and Belgium, increasing the size of Europe’s youth vote. Young Austrians and Maltese have been able to vote from 16 for some time, and Greeks can vote from 17.
In Germany alone there are an estimated 1.4 million eligible 16 and 17-year-olds among about five million first-time voters, so they could make a difference to the outcome.
The far-right Alternative For Germany (AfD) has claimed success in attracting young men especially, through campaigns on social media platforms such as TikTok.
Belgians are also voting in federal and regional elections, as well as in the European vote. Voting in Belgium is compulsory, but there was little enthusiasm among young Belgians ahead of the vote in the Flemish town of Aalst.
Vlaams Belang has won there before, although until now no other party has been willing to work with it. One young woman called Simona said young people especially were keen on their anti-immigration stance: “They like their policies on people coming here from abroad.”
Many of the town’s young voters approached by the BBC said they had not yet decided how they would vote, on a European or national level.
Dutch anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders visited Aalst on the eve of the vote to boost Vlaams Belang’s chances.
Dutch voters went to the polls on Thursday and exit polls have already suggested his party is narrowly behind a left-green alliance. The result will not be known until Sunday evening.
The priorities of European voters have changed dramatically since the last vote in 2019, with Russia’s war in Ukraine and the cost of living now central in people’s minds, while migration, health, and the economy are also key. Five years ago, UK voters took part in the last election before Brexit.
“We want a Europe capable of defending itself,” says Ursula von der Leyen, who has led the European Commission for the past five years and is campaigning for another term. These elections will also play a big part in deciding who runs the EU’s executive.
But voters are swayed by national issues as much as European politics, as highlighted by the Dutch exit poll, which suggested they were equally important for 48% of voters.
