Voting commenced in the Netherlands on Thursday, marking the start of a four-day voting period in the European Union parliamentary elections across its 27 member states.
These elections are anticipated to see gains for the hard right. Among the initial senior politicians to cast his ballot was Geert Wilders of the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV).
Following his party’s significant impact six months ago, becoming the largest party in the Dutch national parliament, Wilders aims to capitalise on this momentum.
His agenda includes advocating for a shift of powers back to national capitals from the EU, granting member states greater autonomy, particularly on issues such as migration.
Ironically, despite being aligned with hard-right parties across the bloc, he seeks to gain more authority within the European Parliament to undermine EU institutions from within.
“You need a robust presence in the European Parliament to ensure our autonomy over immigration and asylum policies,” Wilders remarked following his ballot in The Hague.
He promptly called for a broad coalition of hard-right parties to dismantle the established coalition of Christian Democrats, Socialists, pro-business Liberals, and Greens.
“By forming a larger group in the European Parliament,” Wilders emphasized, “we can exert influence to amend European regulations, thereby enhancing our control within national parliaments.”
Wilders, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and French opposition leader Marine Le Pen diverge sharply from much of the left and many center parties.
They advocate for a more unified European approach, spanning issues from climate change measures to defense, arguing that individual nations have limited influence on the global stage.
“It’s crucial that the European Union remains a robust and cooperative partner,” remarked Gerard Kroon, a 66-year-old municipal employee in The Hague, who cast his vote for the pro-Europe party Volt at city hall.
“We need to work together to achieve common goals, both within Europe and here in the Netherlands.”
In the five years since the previous EU elections, populist, far-right, and extremist parties have ascended to power in three EU nations, joined governing coalitions in several others, and garnered increasing public support across the continent.
World’s second-largest democratic exercise
The EU elections, ranking as the world’s second-largest democratic exercise after India, carry significant stakes.
Nearly 400 million voters will cast their ballots to elect 720 members of the European Parliament, spanning from beyond the Arctic circle to the edges of Africa and Asia.
The outcome will influence various global issues, including climate policies, defense, migration, and geopolitical relations with China and the United States.
While some countries have already begun early voting, the Netherlands leads with its single-day vote, followed by Ireland and the Czech Republic on Friday, and the remaining EU nations over the weekend.
Europe-wide results are expected to be announced Sunday night, once all member states have concluded voting.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a country aspiring to join the EU, conflict has arisen on the fringes of the bloc since the previous European elections in 2019.
As a founding member, the Netherlands has traditionally shown strong support for EU policies.
However, research from the Clingendael think tank suggests a rising dissatisfaction with the EU among Dutch citizens.
While the majority still favor the Netherlands’ continued membership in the bloc, a significant portion now advocates for greater self-sufficiency.
As many voters are anticipated to lean towards right-wing parties, the European People’s Party, led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, retains its position as the largest bloc in the EU legislature.
It is expected to play a crucial role in coalition-building once the election results are finalised.
In the Dutch context, there’s a possibility for Wilders’ PVV to gain momentum, potentially surpassing the collective support for the Labor Party and Green Left.
In the 2019 Dutch EU Parliament election, Labour clinched the lead with 19% of the vote, securing six seats, while the Greens garnered 11% of the vote, earning three seats.
During that period, Wilders’ party only managed to secure 3.5% of the vote, failing to secure any seats.
Wilders, along with one of his potential coalition allies, the Farmer Citizen Movement, enjoys popularity among Dutch farmers.
These farmers have frequently protested against what they perceive as burdensome EU regulations that are negatively impacting their livelihoods.
While Wilders has previously advocated for the Netherlands to exit the EU, akin to Brexit, his party’s manifesto for the upcoming election avoids any mention of a potential Nexit.
However, it calls on voters to support the PVV to facilitate change within the EU, a strategy also embraced by several other hard-right parties across the bloc.
The distribution of elected members in each country is determined by population size, with representation varying from six for Malta, Luxembourg, and Cyprus to 96 for Germany.
In the 2019 elections, Europeans elected 751 lawmakers. Following the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU in 2020, the number of MEPs dropped to 705.
A portion of the 73 seats previously held by British MEPs were redistributed among other member states.
MEPs, short for Members of the European Parliament, have the authority to vote on various legislation encompassing banking regulations, climate policies, agriculture, fisheries, security, and justice.
MEPs also play a crucial role in determining the EU budget, which is vital for implementing European initiatives, including providing assistance to countries like Ukraine.
Following the election, MEPs will gather for their initial plenary session from July 16-19 to select their president.
Subsequently, likely in September, they will put forth a nomination for the president of the European Commission, based on a proposal from the member states.
Ursula von der Leyen, who narrowly secured the vote in 2019 to become the first woman to helm the institution, is now vying for a second term.
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