In the EU there will be elections to the European Parliament could become more radical

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In several European countries on Thursday there will be elections to the European Parliament (EP)

European Parliament / Facebook

On Thursday, polling stations opened in the UK and the Netherlands. On Friday the voting will start Ireland and the Czech Republic on may 25 in Latvia, Malta and Slovakia. In the remaining countries of the European Union elections will be held on Sunday

European Parliament / Facebook

The procedure stipulates that only proportional representation, which involves a technique or list of election parties, or the single transferable vote (a form of preferential voting system when voting is for individual candidates, not parties)

European Parliament / Facebook

In several European countries on Thursday there will be elections to the European Parliament (EP). As reported “Interfax” on Thursday, polling stations opened in the UK and the Netherlands. On Friday the voting will start Ireland and the Czech Republic on may 25 in Latvia, Malta and Slovakia. In the remaining countries of the European Union elections will be held on Sunday.

In total, the European elections of 2019 will take the citizens of the 28 countries, including the UK, have not yet agreed on the process of withdrawal from the EU. In the EU, there are 426 million voters eligible to take part in these elections.

The procedure stipulates that only proportional representation, which involves a technique or list of election parties, or the single transferable vote (a form of preferential voting system when voting is for individual candidates, not parties). As explained in the European Parliament, it gives a chance to smaller parties and to individual candidates, which provides a fairly wide range of political positions among members.

According to preliminary forecasts of research centres and the media, leadership among the factions of the new European Parliament will retain the “European people’s party”, and following it in second place social democratic “Progressive Alliance of socialists and Democrats”: they will receive about 170 and 150 respectively. Thus, according to “Radio Liberty”, both groups lose the support of voters, therefore, most likely, for the first time since 1979, will not have a majority in the European Parliament. On the third place in the elections of 2019 claim “Alliance of liberals and Democrats for Europe” due to the planned Union with the movement of “Renaissance”, which is headed by the President of France Emmanuel macron.

Currently occupying the third place faction of the European conservatives and reformers set for at least fourth place. Although in this place it will be to argue with the forecasts very close results, the far-right “Europe of Nations and freedoms”, “green” (probably in Alliance with “European free Alliance”) and the party group “Europe of freedom and direct democracy”.

Further, the forecasts are “European United left and Northern green left” – the Union of different left-wing political tendencies, including ecosocialist and Communists, which might be able to balance the populist and eurosceptic five star Movement” party Brexit and others. It is noted that in the future Parliament may be a new faction and disappear, some remain: the leading political forces will be difficult to gain a majority of 376 votes in such conditions.

So, the party “Northern League” of the Italian politician Matteo Salvini can become the second number of received votes after the CDU of Angela Merkel. All parties United in the European Alliance of peoples and Nations, can get about 75 seats. Thus, they will press the liberal wing, and the European Parliament for the next five years will be more radical.

It is worth noting the UK’s position, which was to secede from the EU on 29 March 2019. It was agreed that after the withdrawal of great Britain from the Union, 27 of the 73 British seats in the European Parliament will be redistributed between several member States of the EU to compensate for incompleteness in their representation in the European Parliament arising from demographic changes.

France and Spain will receive 5 places in addition. Italy and the Netherlands – at 3 locations, Ireland – 2, 9 more countries will receive one Deputy chair. The remaining 46 seats were planned to be reserved for possible future expansion of the Union. However, in view of the European elections in the UK the number of parliamentary seats in the EP will remain the same and will be 751.

As explained by the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, British MPs elected in may, will leave the European Parliament on the day of release the United Kingdom from the European Union, bringing the number of seats in the European Parliament will be reduced to 705 members. The representatives of Britain in any case will not occupy high posts and are not excluded, even will not appear in Strasbourg. Some experts believe that the British vote can be viewed as a second referendum on the participation of this country in the EU.

It is also noted that due to the so-called leading candidate of one of the parties will still receive considerable benefits. Under this rule, the first number in the list of the party-the winner will receive a post of the President of the European Commission. Many countries-members of EU are unhappy with this development, because I think that the definition of the candidate for this position should be addressed by separate vote. The system is a “lead candidate” was proposed in 2014, when the President of the European Commission became the leader of the European people’s party Jean-Claude Juncker: his successors hope to become a leading candidate from the same coalition Manfred Weber, the leader of the Progressive Alliance of socialists and Democrats Frans Timmermans.

However, it is not excluded that the heads of state and governments will press for the candidature, which did not participate in the preliminary events of the election campaign and still has not been announced as a contender. Upon approval in the European Parliament a candidate for President of the European Commission must score 376 votes. The question of the election of the President of the European Parliament is decided solely within that representative Assembly. Elections are held every two and a half years.

Candidates for the post of the President of the EP put forward either by political factions or by individual group of not less than 38 members. If in the first round of elections none of the candidates win an absolute majority, i.e. 50% plus one vote, a second round. If it no candidate receives an absolute majority, a third round is organized according to the same rules.

If none of the candidates wins a complete victory in the third round, we convened the fourth and final round in which the contest is between two rivals, with the highest number of votes in the previous round. When this hypothetical President of the Parliament may join the election struggle and in the second and in the third round, for example, replacing one of the candidates. Connect to the already-passing the elections, he may also, with the support of a parliamentary faction or a group of 38 MEPs.

Pre-election debate between the candidates for the post of President of the European Commission took place in Brussels on 15 may. In they took part the leader of the list “European people’s party” and the Chairperson of the largest faction of the European Parliament, the German Manfred Weber, Deputy Chairman of the European Commission, the Dutch Frans Timmermans from the “Progressive Alliance of socialists and Democrats”, a member of the European Commission on competition, Danish Margrethe Vestager from the “Alliance of liberals and Democrats for Europe”, the candidate of the “European conservatives and reformists” Czech, Jan Zahradil, co-Chairman of the faction of the European Parliament from the “green” German Ska Keller and the representative of the “European United left” a Belgian of Spanish descent, a former trade Union leader Nico Cue.

It is noted that the chances of the election Zahradil, Keller Cue is minimal, and the winner would be the Weber, but a number of leaders of the EU would oppose his candidacy, so that consensus will not be easy. A compromise figure would be to Timmermans, however, your opponents can be and he, as the Timmermans addressed the issue of violation of the principles of the legal state authorities of the EU countries.

Another interesting figure among the candidates is Vestager, which is considered one of the most effective commissioners having authority in the EU institutions, and among the leaders of the Union. Given that the choice of candidates in heads of matters including “geographical balance”, the Scandinavians have never led the European Commission, Vestager it is a chance to become the first woman at the head of the European Commission.

As for turnout in this election, then, according to “Radio Liberty”, they are traditionally interested in the few citizens. Although the right to vote are 374 million people, making it parliamentary elections in Europe, one of the largest in the world, along with the elections in India and Indonesia, voter turnout falls year after year. The massive turnout was recorded in 1979, when he conducted the first European parliamentary elections, 62%. Twenty years later, the turnout was over 50%, and in the most recent elections (2014) the right to vote have used total 42.5%. On the other hand, the current surge of populism could lead to increased voter turnout, since voters of such parties usually behave more active than others.