analysis
While in many countries the right-wing parties are the clear winners of the European elections, in Denmark, Sweden and Finland it is the left-wing and green parties that are the winners. These are the reasons.
A right-wing jolt is shaking Europe: in France, Austria and Italy, the right-wing populists are the strongest force. In Germany, the AfD is gaining percentage points and is even becoming the strongest party in the east of the country.
But not all EU countries are following this trend. The Nordic countries in particular stand out: In Denmark, the Socialists are becoming the strongest party, in Sweden the Left and the Greens are winning, in Finland the Left is making headway and the Right is losing ground.
Why did the Danes, Finns and Swedes vote against the EU trend? A look at their countries.
Finland
The socialist left-wing alliance received 17.3 percent of the vote, an increase of 10.4 percentage points compared to the European elections five years ago. This is the largest increase of all parties. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s conservative coalition party remained the strongest force with 24.8 percent of the vote. The right-wing populists governing with Orpo, who had been given good chances in polls, slipped to sixth place behind the Greens with 7.6 percent.
The reasons for the poor performance of the right-wing populist party of the Finns and the historic result of the left are probably manifold. A looming shift to the right in Europe, social cuts under the current government haveprobably played a role. However, the Finnish Greens lost, so climate change was probably less important to voters.
Much more important is the anger of voters over the policies of the Finns Party, which led to their punishment. The right-wing populists have been on the decline for months and the current election result is the first proof of this. They have relied heavily on anti-immigration policies and have also campaigned accordingly. Although many migrants and asylum seekers are coming to Europe, Finland is not experiencing a large wave of refugees. The anti-immigration rhetoric has not helped, and the party has clearly missed the point.
Denmark
A bombshell for our northern neighbors: The Socialist People’s Party (SF) secured victory there after a neck-and-neck race with the Social Democrats. According to preliminary counts on Tuesday night, it received 17.4 percent. The Social Democrats, whose party includes Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who was attacked a few days ago, came in second. Frederiksen was beaten by a man on a street in Copenhagen, but was almost unharmed.
The liberal Venstre, which is part of the government, lost a lot of votes and received 14.7 percent of the vote, a drop of nine percent. Nevertheless, it remains the strongest bourgeois party and is doing better than in the past – a tailwind for the liberals.
The right-wing populist party Denmark Democrats, newly founded in 2022, won its first mandate in the European Parliament with 7.4 percent of the vote. This put it ahead of the anti-EU right-wing populist Danish People’s Party, which lost more than four percentage points but retained one seat.
The results in Denmark are primarily to be seen as a punishment for the governing parties, especially the Social Democrats. The coalition of Social Democrats, Venstre and Moderates has also lost support at the national level. Decisions such as the abolition of a public holiday were not well received by the Danes. The SF is also similar to the Social Democrats in terms of its themes and program, but places a stronger focus on climate change. The fact that the Socialists have now overtaken the Social Democrats, with whom they are in direct competition, should therefore be seen as a lesson. For a long time, the Social Democrats ignored disappointed voters who switched to the SF. But the current results are changing the party structure in Copenhagen. A tough fight between the two parties is looming.
Sweden
The Swedish Social Democrats have once again emerged as the strongest force in the European elections. With 24.9 percent of the vote, the party secured first place after more than 90 percent of the votes had been counted. The Greens gained more than two percentage points and reached 13.8 percent, making them the third strongest force. The ruling conservative Moderates of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson came in second.
The right-wing populist Sweden Democrats came in fourth place with 13.2 percent, losing more than two percentage points compared to the last election five years ago. It is the first time in 14 years that the right-wing populists have lost votes in an election.
There are several reasons for the poor performance of the Sweden Democrats (SD). Firstly, the revelations about attacks by Internet trolls within the party on other parties and the way in which they dealt with them (the star reported) have damaged the reputation of the right-wing populists. As in Finland, the issue of immigration, which the SD has always championed, did not play a major role in this election, nor did the issue of crime. Instead, the climate issue was of greater importance to Swedish voters, which explains the gains made by the Greens and the Left.
Sources: News agencies AFP, DPA and , , , , , ,
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
