Conservatives Gain In European Elections

Voters Punish Left-Leaning Parties In Parliament Elections

(AP)  Center-right parties hailed European Parliament election victories as a continent-wide vote for conservative approaches to the economic crisis and pledged Monday to forge ahead.

Right-leaning governments came out ahead in Germany, France, Italy and Belgium, while conservative opposition parties won in Britain and Spain.

Many Socialists ran campaigns that slammed center-right leaders for failing to rein in financial markets and spend enough to stimulate faltering economies. But voters did not embrace their cause.

"The center-right has been addressing the economic crisis," said Sara Hagemann, an analyst at the Brussels-based European Policy Center think tank. "The center-left parties failed to sell that message."

Voters angry over poor economic conditions and political scandals punished ruling parties of both stripes in Greece, Austria, Spain, Britain, Bulgaria, Ireland, Hungary and the tiny island of Malta.

And the June 4-7 elections which ended Sunday across the 27-nation bloc saw only 43 percent of 375 million eligible voters cast ballots for representatives to the 736-seat EU legislature. The record low turnout pointed to enduring voter apathy about the European Union.

It was a discouraging sign for EU officials hoping Irish voters will approve stronger powers for the EU in a fall referendum.

European Commission President Manuel Barroso blamed politicians across the European Union.

"National politicians, whose debates all too often remain largely national in their focus, must acknowledge themselves more consistently as both national and European actors," he said.

The European Union said center-right parties were expected to take the most seats — 267. Center-left parties were headed for 159. Green and pro-EU parties captured 51 seats, while far-right and anti-EU parties won around 40 seats. The remainder went to smaller groupings.

Reeling from an expenses scandal, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's center-left Labour party finished third behind the anti-European U.K. Independence Party — a crushing defeat that cast more doubt on Brown's future. The Conservatives are expected to win Britain's next national elections.

The vote also saw the all-white British National Party pick up two seats in the EU assembly — joining far-right parties from the Netherlands, Hungary and Austria that excoriated Muslims, immigrants and minorities.

Voters in Italy handed a tepid win to scandal-plagued Premier Silvio Berlusconi and rewarded the anti-immigrant party in his coalition. The 72-year-old billionaire media mogul spent much of the campaign fighting off his wife's allegations of an improper relationship with an 18-year-old model.

Germans handed a lackluster victory to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives but a historic defeat to their center-left rivals, a result that comes only months before Germany holds its own national election.

"We are the force that is acting level-headedly and correctly in this financial and economic crisis," said Volker Kauder, the leader of Merkel's party in the German parliament.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's governing conservatives trounced the Socialists, while an ecology-minded party vaulted to a surprisingly strong third place.

"We will continue to modernize France," Prime Minister Francois Fillon said, vowing to loosen France's labor rules to make the country more competitive internationally.

"Tonight is a very difficult evening for Socialists in many nations in Europe," admitted Martin Schulz, the leader of the Socialists in the European parliament.

Austria's big winner was the rightist Freedom Party, which more than doubled its strength over the 2004 elections to 13.1 percent of the vote. It campaigned on an anti-Islam platform.

In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders' anti-Islamic party took 17 percent of the country's votes, winning four of 25 seats.

Three of 22 seats in Hungary went to the far-right Jobbik party, which describes itself as Euro-skeptic and anti-immigration. Critics say the party is racist and anti-Semitic.

The EU parliament has evolved over five decades from a consultative legislature to one with the power to vote on or amend two-thirds of all EU laws. Lawmakers get five-year terms and residents vote for lawmakers from their own countries.

The assembly's increasingly influential lawmaking affects issues ranging from climate change to cell-phone roaming charges.

The parliament can also amend the EU budget — euro120 billion ($170 billion) this year — and approves candidates for the European Commission, the EU administration and the board of the European Central Bank.

[jankebenzone]

Posted by lehnahund at 1:17 AM : Jun 9, 2009
Perhaps you should reread the news story that attracted you here in the first place,
It says that conservatives are gaining in europe. Either they are misinformed, or you are!I can see that you are quite liberal as you have to resort to evolution arguments to support your believes. Of course leftist ideology does not want to see the right making gains and will deny such movement. Come back in 4-5 years and we'll talk again.

[YrSoWrong]

Oh no! But what of the inevitability of historical forces realizing themselves in class struggle? What of the politicians who might have led the economy? What of the untenured professors who will have to seduce grad students on their own merits?

[skunk_monkey]

i voted British National Party. i'm sick of everyone who is against immigration been called a NAZI. it was british nationalism that helped defeat the nazis.

[lehnahund]

Ich gelaub du nicht!
If you were a political master then you would know how the right is gaining momentum in most of western europe esp. Germany. Either you are not what you claim, or you are still stuck in the liberal mindset. At age 62 that is more likely the premise.
Posted by jankebenzone at 7:02 PM : Jun 8, 2009

you mean: Ich glaube Dir nicht! well, if you believe me or not doesn`t mattter at all.

you posted, that Europe is turning conservative because the lack the Republican agenda (abortion, sexual orientation and so). and that is just rubbish.

you don´t know better. so let us leave it as that.

but to say especialy in Germany there is a movement to the right and one can see it in the results of the european election shows, that you do not know, what you are talking about. you don´t even know the facts.

the CDU - the conservaticves with Merkel - had the second worst figures in european election in 30 years. the CSU, their bavarian wing, just made the 5% level, to be in tne parliament.

one of the winners in Germany were the Greens, a good bit left of centre.

Merkel will win the september election. but it is absolutely open, whether she has enough seats with the Liberals or whether she needs the democratic socialists - like now - to form a government.

but none of your agenda subjects will play the slightest part in the election in september. from no party. Germany is no christian country in the way the evangelicals define christian. and the evangelical moral values appear in everyday life in Germany quite old fashioned und backward.

we don´t have a discussion between darwinists and creationists. darwinism is a science, creationism is a believe.

[jankebenzone]

I am German, 62, living in Germany. my profession: I hold a master degree in politics and sociology.

So, I shake my head quietly....

you are far off any resemblance to Europe.
Posted by lehnahund at 1:13 PM : Jun 8, 2009

Ich gelaub du nicht!
If you were a political master then you would know how the right is gaining momentum in most of western europe esp. Germany. Either you are not what you claim, or you are still stuck in the liberal mindset. At age 62 that is more likely the premise.

[jimmyc1955]

lehnahund - My trips to Europe also incline me to believe there is a fundamental paradigm shift happening in Europe. This is the first major change in the EU parliamentary makeup since the formation of the EU.

The failure of the European constitution, the elections of Sarkozy and Merkel, the rejection of Brown in England, Sweden's move away from the heavy socialist ruling party all indicate that the people of Europe are not pleased with the direction that the previous 40 years of democratic socialism produced.

I understand that conservative in Europe and conservative in the US and Britian are different, but it is the trend that is the most interesting. I appears the Merkel and Sarkozy will easily win re-election and that the Labor party in the UK is heading to a humiliating defeat. The population seems to be endorsing a more fiscally responsible government, with a greater focus on loosening regulations to promote a higher growth economic model.

So in my parlance - smaller government spending less on social programs with a more pro-business higher growth model equals conservatism. That is a trend that is undeniable.

40 years of slow growth, high unemployment, high taxes and declining native populations are putting the EU itself at risk.

[scyouth]

Posted by lehnahund

All good points in your posts; you just have to remember who you're dealing with. The right wing acolytes in this country are as dumb as rocks - and our buddy janke seems dumber than that. To have been born and raised in Europe and to still have these views is incomprehensible, or, of course, he's lying - something the right wing does well and without a conscience.

[lehnahund]

Au contraire, I was born and raised in europe, been there on more trips than I can remember and have numerous relatives and friends there. Sorry but my experience, background , acquaintances and travels, give me credible knowledge of whats happening in europe.
Posted by jankebenzone at 12:27 PM : Jun 8, 2009

then your posting is quite astonishing.

there might be a second Europe somewhere in your imagination.

I am German, 62, living in Germany. my profession: I hold a master degree in politics and sociology.

So, I shake my head quietly....

you are far off any resemblance to Europe.

[jankebenzone]

I´m sorry you don´t know what you are talking about. you have obviously no big knowledge of what is happening in europe.
Posted by lehnahund at 11:46 AM : Jun 8, 2009

Au contraire, I was born and raised in europe, been there on more trips than I can remember and have numerous relatives and friends there. Sorry but my experience, background , acquaintances and travels, give me credible knowledge of whats happening in europe.

[lehnahund]

Much of western europe lead the way in liberal ideology starting in the early sixties, now after some five decades of liberal immigration policies, liberal abortion policies, liberal sexual orientation policies, liberal union, justice,religion, ect,ect, policies, the populace are slowly realizing their mistaken views. The political trend is coming slowly about to a conservative direction as more and more of younger voters see that liberal culture has resulted in a host of problems.
Posted by jankebenzone at 10:46 AM : Jun 8, 2009

I´m sorry you don´t know what you are talking about. you have obviously no big knowledge of what is happening in europe.

the conservatives who had gains, would be politically middle if not on the left wing of the democrats in the US. and discussions about sexual orientation, abortion, justice, religion, liberal union were not on the agenda in the election. Not at all.

to that there were gains, not more to the conservarives. the centre left socialist group in the european parliament is still second by far. the highest gainers are the green parties. they are quite a bit left of the centre.

the conservatives hold 263 seats out of a parliament of 736. the need at least two, if not three more parties in a coalition to have a majority on a matter.

the eurosceptics hold around 55 seats of the 736.

this election doesn´t give the republicans in the US anything.

and, would the republicans with their agenda have a part in the european election they wouldn´t have made double figures.

and the younger generation in Europe is by a great majority left of centre. and those subjects you mentioned wouldn´t be on their agenda. the discussions of sexual orientation, abortion, religion was more than a generation ago. there is no agenda for that. europe is not christian in a evangelical way.

if you would come with this agenda they would laugh you.