Archive / Magazine / Current / European elections / Links | 11/05/2009

Europe has voted

Between 4th and 7th June Europeans cast their votes for a new Parliament. As predicted the overall turnout was low. In many countries right-wing parties made considerable gains while campaigning had been dominated by national issues.

Photo: AP / Alexandra Mlejnkova

General appraisal of the election results

Polska - Poland | Tuesday, 9. June 2009

European elections provided clear answers

The elections to the European Parliament made many things clearer, writes Agaton Koziński in the daily Polska: "The advantage of elections is that they give ... » more

Ta Nea - Greece | Tuesday, 9. June 2009

Greek Left benefited from government's impopularity

As opposed to in most EU states the Socialists have had a good showing in Greece. The daily Ta Nea explains the Greek paradox: "In ... » more

Corriere del Ticino - Switzerland | Monday, 8. June 2009

Gerardo Morina on nation-oriented thinking in Europe

Gerardo Morina comments in the liberal Swiss daily Corriere del Ticino on voters' clear disinterest in Europe, identifying a tendency among Europeans to think along ... » more

La Voce - Italy | Wednesday, 10. June 2009

Tito Boeri on immigration policy and the Left's defeat

Writing in the independent liberal blog La Voce, Tito Boeri looks into the reasons for the Left's thrashing in the European elections: "Put it down ... » more

La Repubblica - Italy | Wednesday, 10. June 2009

The besieged strongholds of the Italian Left

Like many of its voters, the opposition Democratic Party (PD) in Italy feels like it's "in exile in its own land", writes Ilvo Diamanti in ... » more

Lidové noviny - Czech Republic | Tuesday, 9. June 2009

Voters lack confidence in the Left's crisis policy

Martin Weiss writes in the conservative daily Lidové Noviny that the European elections have shown up the weaknesses of the Left in the economic crisis: ... » more

Tribune de Genève - Switzerland | Tuesday, 9. June 2009

The brain death of social democracy

In the Swiss regional paper Tribune de Génève Jean-Noël Cuénod analyses the weaknesses of the social democratic parties following their poor showing in the European ... » more

Dnevnik - Slovenia | Tuesday, 9. June 2009

Europeans don't like voting

The daily Dnevnik attributes the poor performance of the left-wing parties in the European elections to the low voter turnout: "Their defeat is not just ... » more

La Repubblica - Italy | Monday, 8. June 2009

Right-wing forces score victory everywhere

The left-liberal daily La Repubblica comments on the transformation of the political panorama in Europe: "The moderate Right has paradoxically been able to land a ... » more

Népszava - Hungary | Monday, 8. June 2009

A slap in the face for Hungarian democracy

The left-leaning daily Népszava comments on the surprising election result of Hungary's right-wing extremist Jobbik party, which won three seats in the European Parliament: "The ... » more

NRC Handelsblad - Netherlands | Monday, 8. June 2009

The Right has many voters

In the Netherlands Geert Wilder's Party for Freedom (PVV) won four mandates in the European Parliament for the first time. The big losers in the ... » more

Der Standard - Austria | Monday, 8. June 2009

EU foreigners prevented Austrian crash

The daily Der Standard comments on the victory of the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and the independent EU critic Hans-Peter Martin: "More than ... » more

Gazeta Wyborcza - Poland | Monday, 8. June 2009

Extremist parties are nothing new

The liberal Gazeta Wyborcza considers that the seats in the European Parliament won by Euro-sceptics and extremists do not yet pose too great a threat: ... » more

Turun sanomat - Finland | Monday, 8. June 2009

Success of True Finns no surprise

The right-wing True Finns party increased its share of the vote by 9 percent in comparison with the 2004 European elections. Its leader Timo Soini ... » more

Voter turnout

The Observer - United Kingdom | Monday, 4. May 2009

A chance for British right-wing extremists

The Sunday paper The Observer examines the chances of the radical right-wing British National Party (BNP) in the European Parliament elections: "When the north-west region ... » more

European election campaign issues

Mladá fronta DNES - Czech Republic | Monday, 4. May 2009

Confusing words in the Czech Republic

The liberal daily Mladá Fronta Dnes criticises the slogans of the Czech Social Democrats in the European Parliament elections as misleading: "'No cuts in family ... » more

Candidates and parliamentarians

Süddeutsche Zeitung - Germany | Thursday, 4. June 2009

Geert Mak wants more charismatic EU politicians

In an interview with the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung on the European elections, Dutch author Geert Mak writes that the EU lacks charismatic politicians: "Europe ... » more

The Independent - United Kingdom | Thursday, 4. June 2009

Britain must play a positive role in Europe

Today, Thursday, marks the start of the European elections in the UK. In view of persisting Euroscepticism in Britain, the liberal daily The Independent comments ... » more

Correio da Manhã - Portugal | Wednesday, 3. June 2009

Domingos Amaral doesn't want to vote

Domingos Amaral explains in the daily Correio da Manhã why he plans to abstain from voting in the European elections: "After lengthy consideration of the ... » more

Hospodářské noviny - Czech Republic | Tuesday, 9. June 2009

Petr Kamberský on Europeans' dislike for European unity

"The lesson the [European] elections teach us is clear: Europeans do not long for more integration", writes Petr Kamberský in the business paper Hospodářské Noviny. ... » more

Süddeutsche Zeitung - Germany | Friday, 29. May 2009

Jens Bisky on the blossoming European public sphere

The European public sphere is blooming regardless of what anyone says, writes commentator Jens Bisky in the Süddeutsche Zeitung: "European topics - issues regarding cohabitation ... » more

De Standaard - Belgium | Monday, 18. May 2009

Bad music can achieve more than bad politics

The Eurovision Song Contest is the most successful example of European cooperation, writes author Oscar van den Boogard in the daily De Standaard, noting that ... » more

Die Welt - Germany | Monday, 18. May 2009

Song Contest teaches enthusiasm for Europe

While Europe's politicians do nothing to stir our hearts in the run-up to the European elections, the Eurovision Song Contest is bringing Europe - and ... » more

Diário de Notícias - Portugal | Monday, 8. June 2009

João César das Neves on the success of the European project

For João César das Neves Europe remains a successful project despite the large number of people who abstained from voting in the European elections. Writing ... » more