Published On: Tue, Feb 13th, 2024
World | 2,247 views

New poll shows EU set for elections shock after far-right surge in the bloc | World | News


France‘s far-right is poised to achieve its highest-ever result in the upcoming European Parliament election, according to recent poll data.

The consultancy firm Portland Communications conducted the survey, revealing that the far-right National Rally, led by outgoing MEP Jordan Bardella, could secure a staggering 33 percent of the vote.

Additionally, the far-right Reconquête party led by Eric Zemmour is also projected to stand at 6 percent.

The anticipated outcome places the National Rally significantly ahead of the centrist Ensemble! coalition, which includes French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, expected to receive only 14 percent of the vote.

The poll, conducted online in late January, included responses from 1,034 people, forming a “nationally and politically representative sample”. Similar results were observed in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland, with far-right parties expected to make substantial gains, excluding Poland, where the liberal Civic Coalition is forecasted to receive 35 percent of the vote.

In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is projected to win 17 percent of the vote, a noticeable increase from their 11 percent in the 2019 EU election.

“The EU is heading into these elections with citizens in a deeply pessimistic mood,” Portland Communications CEO Victoria Dean said. She stressed that voters expressed concerns about issues perceived as challenging to address.

Across France, Germany, Italy, and Poland, the cost-of-living crisis topped voters’ concerns, with the housing crisis taking precedence in the Netherlands. Immigration emerged as a close second in France, Germany, and the Netherlands, while health care was the second-most cited issue in Italy and Poland.

Surprisingly, in every country except Poland, the majority expressed dissatisfaction with the direction their country was taking.

France and Germany, both governed by centre-right and centre-left parties, had the highest proportion of unhappy respondents, with 68 percent and 66 percent respectively feeling their country was “on the wrong path”.

Despite the common trend in EU elections campaigns to focus on national concerns, voters in all five countries indicated that their vote would be primarily influenced by domestic rather than EU-wide issues.

Germany stood out with the highest share of respondents (15 percent) citing EU issues as their main motivation for voting.



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