Voters in Slovakia, Italy and other European Union countries cast their ballots on Saturday, marking the third day of elections.
On Thursday, far-right leader Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration party came second in the Netherlands, according to exit polls. Voters in Ireland and the Czech Republic went to the polls yesterday with immigration on the agenda.
Slovakia
Voters in Slovakia have rallied to the side of the ruling left-wing populist Smer-SD party since the shooting of Prime Minister Robert Fizo on 15 May. Fico’s party opposes EU arms shipments to Ukraine and opposes alleged “warmongers” in Brussels.
Slovakia’s president-elect Peter Pellegrini, who won April’s national election, is also sceptical about Ukraine. On Saturday, he said the European Union was at a “crossroads” and needed a “new defence policy” and an alternative to a “restrictive” Green transition that was damaging industry and competition.
Polls show they could win up to a quarter of the 720 seats, weakening the main centrist factions expected to prevail anyway. Analysts say the attack could boost the chances of the prime minister’s Smer (Direction) party, a senior partner in the ruling coalition, winning the vote.
The prime minister recovered in time to address the nation in a video, his first public statement since the attack, just hours before the start of an election silence period on Wednesday. Meanwhile, he did not speak directly about the vote but attacked the European Union, saying he had fallen victim because of his views, which differ sharply from mainstream european.
Italy
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party are expected to be the big winner in Italy, mainly at the expense of her coalition partners, the anti-migrant League and the center-right Forza Italia.
If Italy wins, it could end up with significant influence over the five-year term of both the new parliament and the next European Commission that subsequently emerges.
Capitalising on her popularity, Meloni is running as the preferred candidate, although she has no intention of holding a seat in the European Parliament. In the meantime, current commission chief Ursula von der Leyen favours Meloni, who will decide with other EU leaders whether to give her a second mandate or replace her.
The main voting day is Sunday
Also, voters in Latvia, Malta and the Czech Republic also cast their ballots on Saturday. Final results will not be released until Sunday evening, when all countries vote. The main voting day is Sunday, when citizens of 20 European countries, including Germany, France and Poland, vote for the 720-seat European Parliament.
The seats split according to population, ranging from six in Malta or Luxembourg to 96 in Germany.
