Electoral winners and political losers in the right-wing Eurosceptic camp
Could the political success of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) in the aftermath of the 2014 European elections undermine Tory success in the 2015 British elections?
Cas Mudde
Alternative for Germany hold election rally at Brandenburg gate in Berlin, May 2014. Demotix/Theo Schneider. All rights reserved
Elections always have their many winners, and the 2014 European elections are no exception. The European People’s Party (EPP) and Spitzenkandidat Jean-Claude Juncker claimed victory because, despite significant losses, it is still the largest political group in the European Parliament (EP). The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and their candidate for European Commission president Martin Schulz consider themselves winners, as they narrowed the gap with the EPP. Even the Alliance for Liberals and Democrats in Europe (ALDE) and its candidate Guy Verhofstadt, famous for living in an alternate universe, tried to reframe their historic electoral defeat as a political victory, claiming that they are still kingmakers in the European Parliament. (more…)