Beginning on Thursday, voters in the Netherlands will begin a four-day election marathon spanning all 27 EU member states. This will serve as an early barometer for how far to the right the next EU parliament might go.
Election day arrives for the 370 million voters in the EU at a moment of extreme geopolitical unpredictability for the bloc, 2.5 years after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The majority of nations, including superpowers France and Germany, will cast ballots on Sunday, but the first election in The Netherlands will provide an early look at the strength of the far-right, whose anticipated rise is the main focus of the election.
Also predicted to top EU polls is Geert Wilders’s Freedom Party (PVV), the unexpected victor of last November’s national elections. Despite abandoning its promise to hold a “Nexit” referendum upon exiting the EU, the PVV’s platform is still vehemently anti-EU.
Nationalist, far-right, and other eurosceptic movements are predicted to win the EU election in a number of nations, the Netherlands included.
According to polls, the far right may win almost 25% of the 720 seats in the next parliament, which would be significant enough to influence EU policy.
The outcomes may also affect Brussels’ stance on climate change, its dealings with China and the US, its support for Ukraine, the expansion of the EU, and its ability to adjust to technological and artificial intelligence advancements.
When the dust settles, EU leaders will use the weightings of the newly formed political groups to determine who will be appointed to the bloc’s top institutional positions, such as those at the European Commission.
German polyglot Ursula von der Leyen, the current head of the commission, is vying for a second term and is considered the front-runner, although diplomats warn that this is not a certainty.
