Politics

Civil society pressure, upcoming elections, and a lack of consensus within the Popular Party led to plans for the restriction of abortion to be abandoned – and caused the resignation of the Spanish Justice Minister last week.

The national elections in Sweden on September 14th, 2014, were a victory for the parties at the fringes, with the Feminist Initiative and the far-right Sweden Democrats both witnessing a surge in support, while the parties in government lost out. For the Greens it was a mixed outcome – disappointing results overall, yet also bringing a chance to enter the government for the first time.

The Yes campaign in Scotland – which includes Greens and progressives of all parties and none – has inspired a vast swathe of the country that has been ignored by the neoliberal parties. If this demographic turns out to vote on the 18th of September, it could determine the result…

‘Neither left nor right, but forward’ has been a semi-official motto of many Green Parties across Europe since their inception in the 1960s and ‘70s. But as the Green Party of England & Wales’ (GPEW) Autumn Conference drew to a close this weekend, the party appears to be maintaining or indeed continuing its leftward drive. The implications could be interesting both for Britain and for Green Parties elsewhere.

What made these European elections of 2014 so notable? For the first time, the European parties nominated joint leading candidates. This led not only to a greater personalisation of the European electoral campaign but also gave the elections a real pan-European dimension. What does the outcome mean for the Greens, and what conclusions can be drawn?

In the recent European elections, Slovakia saw participation plummet to new lows. Yet the combination of this abstention with general satisfaction towards EU membership gives rise to a curious paradox, in which voter behaviour today continues to be affected by historical memory and many other complex factors.

A quarter of the French electorate supported the far-right Front National at the last European elections. Yet the party’s political programme remains founded on the same illusions and scapegoating, only with a new, softer and more media-savvy face.

From the European elections of last month, a number of overarching trends can be identified among voters’ choices and behaviour. Although voting patterns varied between countries, a number of broad conclusions can be drawn which give some indication of the form the next Parliament is likely to take, and some of the key challenges it will face.

The Green Party in the European Parliament is set to count more than one MEP from Spain. In addition, Spain will be the southern European country with the most representatives in the Greens/EFA parliamentary group. This is good news, but there is still a long way to go to gather electoral support on the same scale as Greens in some other European countries.

A combination of low-turnout and a focus on national security issues boosted the far-right and the incumbent government parties. Despite the mixed message, it is clear the Poland remains firmly in the pro-EU camp.