While most citizens of the European Union will vote on Sunday in the European elections, some have already gone to the polls. After the Dutch, Czechs and Irish, Slovaks started voting this Saturday morning for the European elections.
In the country of 5.4 million, a NATO and EU member since 2004, attacks on populist Prime Minister Robert Fico three weeks ago have sent his Smer-SD party surging in the latest polls. On May 15, he was shot and injured while greeting his supporters after a cabinet meeting.
Smer-SD, which describes itself as a “party of peace”, opposes arms deliveries to Ukraine and criticizes “increasing attacks by armed forces from Brussels”. It remains to be seen what the participation rate will be in electing the fifteen Slovak MEPs: in the last European elections in 2019, it was only 22.7%, one of the lowest in the EU.
Italy, Malta and Latvia this Saturday
In the afternoon, the spotlight will shift to Italy, a third EU country, where Giorgia Meloni has been campaigning to take the leadership of her Fratelli d'Italia (FDI) party. Georgia Meloni's party received 27% of voting intentions according to the latest polls in the country, which continues until Sunday evening to elect 76 MEPs. Close behind is the Democratic Party (left) at 21% and the Five Star Movement (populist) at 15.5%.
FDI could send 22 representatives to the European Parliament – compared to the current six – and contribute to the expected surge of the far-right in the chamber.
Voters from Latvia (9 MEP) and Malta (6 MEP) will also go to the polls this Saturday.
Part of the French population will vote today for the European elections. “These are voters from the departments of French Polynesia, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthélemy, Antilles and Guyana, as well as voters called to polling stations opened by American embassies and consular posts. Continent,” clarifies public life.
The Netherlands was the first to open the vote
Voting took place on Thursday in the Netherlands, which opened the ball in the European Union. Dutch voters elected seven deputies to Geert Wilders' Party for Freedom (PVV, far-right), according to polls from the polls. However, his Social-Democratic rival Franz Timmermans' coalition came out on top with eight seats, defying some predictions that the PVV would win the election.
In Ireland, polling stations remained open until 11pm on Friday. 3.4 million voters were called to the polls to elect 14 MEPs. Although the final result is not yet known, the far right could win several seats. After the unprecedented anti-immigrant riots in Dublin last December, candidates from immigrant backgrounds were threatened during their campaigns and reception centers were set on fire following knife attacks on children.
In the Czech Republic, around 8.5 million voters can vote from Friday until 2pm this Saturday to elect the next 21 Czech MEPs. Among the EU's most Eurosceptic, candidates must fight above all the apathy of their fellow citizens. In 2019, the previous election, the Czech Republic had the second highest voter turnout in the entire EU, just behind its Slovak neighbor.
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