On June 6, Thursday, elections to the European Parliament started in 27 EU countries. Approximately 400 million voters will elect 720 deputies, according to Suspilne.
Currently, there are 705 seats in the European Parliament, but in this year’s elections the number of seats will increase to 720. They will be proportionally distributed among the countries that were occupied by British MPs who are not participating in the elections after Brexit.
Over the next five years, parliamentarians will decide on new laws in the European Union, approve the budget, control finances, and all EU institutions.
In general, it is difficult to predict the turnout, as in some countries 10% of voters come to the polls, and in some countries up to 80%.
The main feature of these elections is that far-right parties in Europe have been gaining popularity in recent years and, accordingly, expect to gain more seats in the European Parliament.
In addition, the European Parliament elections are being held against the backdrop of protests by farmers in the EU who oppose the Green Deal and claim that certain European environmental and climate regulations are the destruction of agriculture.
What are the forecasts for the composition of the European Parliament?
Politico monitors national trends in predicting how seats in the next European Parliament will be distributed. For now, pro-European parties will still have a majority. The two largest blocs, the European People’s Party (EPP) and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), continue to hold the majority and are expected to have 170 and 142 seats out of 720, respectively.
The right-wing and Eurosceptic parties are also expected to strengthen their positions at the expense of the center-left parties. The group of European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) is expected to become the fourth largest in the parliament with 72 seats.
