Re: [Marxism] Netherlands embraces far right in EU elections

[Christos Mais <ipoulos69@xxxxxxxxx>]

Their percentage is much less if you consider that the abstention was more
than 60%

2009/6/6 Joonas Laine <jjonas@xxxxxx>

> Netherlands embraces far right in EU elections
> ANDREW WILLIS
> 05.06.2009 @ 09:29 CET
> http://euobserver.com/9/28248
>
> The Dutch far-right Freedom Party (PVV) of Geert Wilders made the
> greatest leap forward in the country's EU elections on Thursday (4
> June), with 16.9 percent in exit polls. But the ruling conservatives
> came top overall.
>
> The result is a major victory for the openly anti-Islamic party, giving
> it four seats in the European legislature and a possibility that this
> could rise to five once the final count is completed.
>
> The Freedom Party came second only to the ruling Christian Democrats
> (CDA) of Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, which exit polls suggest
> will win 20 percent of the vote or five of the 25 seats up for grabs.
>
> This is a fall of four percent from the last European elections in 2004,
> resulting in the loss of two MEPs for the party.
>
> As the xenophobic party's celebrations got under way, Mr Wilders said
> his success was a vote against the current administration and an overly
> costly EU.
>
> "People have had enough of Europe as it is now - a big Europe with
> Turkey possibly joining - that we spend billions on each year," he said
> according to newswires.
>
> "I think some people have also had enough of the Balkenende and Bos
> Cabinet," he added, referring to the prime minister and his Labour Party
> finance minister.
>
> The results tally with pre-election predictions of greater support for
> far right and fringe parties as a result of the economic crisis and
> fears over immigration in the country.
>
> The Labour Party - the junior coalition partner in the government -
> appeared the main loser in Thursday's vote, taking only 12.2 percent of
> the vote resulting in a drop from seven to three seats in the European
> parliament.
>
> The third party in the government coalition, the small Christen Unie, a
> religious party that on some economic issues hews somewhat to the left,
> was at 6.9 percent of the vote, up from 5.9 percent in 2004, and
> projected to take two seats.
>
> The other big winner is the left-liberal D66, which looks poised to take
> three seats with 11.3 percent of the vote, up from just one at the last
> European election. It is a major turn-around for the party, which in
> recent years was feared to be in danger of disappearing.
>
> "There has been a clear No vote and a clear Yes vote," party leader
> Alexander Pechtold said, pointing out that the anti-Europe parties had
> won just eight of the 25 Dutch seats.
>
> "Europe is the big winner tonight," he said.
>
> The country's green party, Groenlinks, or 'Green Left' looks set to take
> 8.9 percent of the vote or three seats, an increase of one on 2004.
>
> The far-left SP remained largely steady with 7.1 percent of the vote.
>
> Exit polls showed voter turnout of 36.5 percent, down from 39.1 percent
> in the last European elections in 2004.
>
> Muslim concerns
>
> The rise of Mr Wilders - who has described the Koran as fascist and who
> currently receives 24-hour protection following death threats – clearly
> came at the expense of governing coalition partners.
>
> Fears amongst Protestant and Catholic voters over the country's roughly
> 800,000 Muslim inhabitants helped drive the strong support for the
> Freedom Party, which was contesting its first European elections.
>
> Mr Wilders, who directed a short film that criticizes the Koran as a
> "fascist book", urged voters to reject EU involvement in immigration
> policy and said Turkey should not join the 27-nation union.
>
> "Turkey as [an] Islamic country should never be in the EU, not in 10
> years, not in a million years," Wilders said after voting.
>
> [..]
>
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-- 
Chris Mais
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