Today the campaign for the European elections begins, characterized by fear of a strong rise of the extreme right

Today, Thursday May 23, the campaign for the European Parliament elections on June 9 begins. Elections for which polls predict a strong rise of far-right forces.

A European extreme right that has gone through a special crisis chapter on the eve of the start of the campaign. The head of the list for the European elections of Alternative for Germany (AfD), Maximilian Krahannounced on Tuesday that he is leaving the leadership of the formation and that he will refrain from further participation in the campaign, after stating that in the Nazi SS organization “not everyone was criminal”.

In a recent interview with the Italian newspaper The Republic, Krah stated that it was a “mistake” to say that all members of the SS were “criminals”. After Krah’s statements to The Republicthe far-right parties, the French National Rally (RN). Marine Le Pen and the League of the Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, they distanced themselves from the AfD. These formations will no longer be part of a parliamentary group in the European Parliament.

Debate

In fact, the leading candidates of the five major parties for the European Parliament elections will test their strength this Thursday in the major election debate ahead of the elections, which will be characterized by the absence of the far right because it has not formally designated any candidate.

They will be on set Ursula von der Leyen, who represents the European People’s Party with the most favorable polls and is considered a favorite to repeat as President of the Commission; the social democratic candidate, Nicholas Schmit; that of the liberals of Renew Europe, Sandro Gozi; that of the Greens, Terry Reintke and the one on the left, Walter Baier.

Von der Leyen and Schmit represent the PP and the PSOE respectively, having been nominated as candidates by both political families, while both Ciudadanos and the PNV have been included in the Liberal candidacy. ERC, EH Bildu and the BNG are integrated into the Greens/European Free Alliance and until now Unidas Podemos has been part of the European Left group.

In these European elections a Polarization of the PSOE and PP votes, which could become a second part of the general elections for these parties. He Sociological Research Center (CIS) will today publish its election survey on these elections, which will include vote estimates and seat distribution.

The PNV will start its campaign at home today in Hondarribia (Gipuzkoa), while the rest of the formations, EH Bildu, PSE-EE, PP and Sumar, will do so in Bilbao, as reported by the various parties.

Coalition for a Europe of Solidarity (CEUS)

The Yeltzales have chosen a symbolic place to start the campaign for the European elections: the Guipuzcoan municipality of Hondarribia, next to the Bidasoa, the river that unites the Basques on both sides of the border.

The PNV not only presents itself in the Spanish state with the ‘Coalition for a Europe of Solidarity’ (CEUS), but with its acronym PNB in ​​​​Iparralde, it also participates in the French state with various environmental groups under the name ‘Ecologie Positive et Territoires’, with the jeltzale Jean Tellechea in his candidacy.

Under the motto of ‘Indar Berria Europan. Your voice matters’will call on the Jeltzale formation to vote for the PNV, so that Euskadi “has its own voice” in Europe and can reconfirm the seat that Izaskun Bilbao has held until now in the European Chamber.

When you reach it, it will be the jeltzale Oihana Agirretxeawho leads the CEUS candidacy, who will be promoted as European parliamentarian and will also represent the rest of the formations competing on his list: Canary Coalition, Geroa Bai, Balearic PI or the Atarrabia Platform.

Now Republics-Orain Errepublikak

For his part, EH Bildu, who is not running for the French constituency with his counterpart EH Bai in Iparralde, will start his campaign at 8 p.m. at the Arenal in Bilbao, with an event in which the current MEP will participate. Screw jackand also candidate Oihana Etxebarrieta, who will be accompanied by the general coordinator of the training, Arnaldo Otegi.

Its motto, which includes the name ‘Now Republics’ in Basque (Orain Errepublikak) – with which it is presented in coalition with ERC, BNG and Ara Mès of the Balearic Islands – summarizes the objectives it sets for this June 9: ‘Euskal Herria. Baking. Antifasxixmoa (Euskal Herria. Peace. Antifascism).

The candidacy of ‘Now Republics’, composed of ERC, EH Bildu, BNG and Ara Més de Baleares, is led by the Catalan republican Diana Riba, followed by Pernando Barrena and in third place is Ana Miranda, who is again a candidate by the Galician Nationalist Bloc.

PSOE

The PSE-EE will also hold its first campaign event at El Arenal Tinglados in Bilbao at 6:30 p.m., in the presence of the candidate Idoia Mendia and the Secretary General of the Socialists, Eneko Andueza.

The meeting will be led by the Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Mobility and Sustainability of the Bilbao City Council, Nora Abete, whose slogan will be: ‘More Europe, more PSOE’.

PP

The PP will also start its campaign in the capital of Biscay, where its president, Javier de Andrés, will speak alongside the candidates on Thursday afternoon Javier Zarzalejos and Carlos Iturgaizwho, after leaving the leadership of the PP in the Basque Autonomous Community, has rejoined the lists for the European elections.

Under the motto of “Your Voice is the Answer”wants to invite citizens to “tell Pedro Sánchez what they think of him.”

Add

Sumar will also start his election campaign in Bilbao, although the opening itself will take place in Madrid. In fact, in this campaign the coalition will have a double aspect, the state and the Basque aspect, with the slogan ‘Lead the course. Norabidea hautatu’. A majority of 55.2% of Batzarre’s forces, who participated in a consultation held for this purpose, positioned themselves in favor of the request for a vote for Sumar.

Sumar Mugimendua’s spokesperson, Andeka Larrea, number 35 on the European list, will organize small morning events daily. This Thursday afternoon, he will be present together with the former candidate for lehendakari, Alba García, at an event with volunteers for the development of his electoral contest at the Campo Volantín headquarters in Bilbao. The middle caravan, with its head on the list of Add to the Europeans, Galan starwill be in Euskadi between May 29 and 30.

After the schism in the same political space, the candidate of CanIrene Montero will also try to make herself heard during the campaign to achieve representation in the Strasbourg Chamber.

Finally, the leader of the Spanish extreme right (Vox), Santiago Abascal, opens the campaign from León. The meeting is at 8 p.m. at Plaza de San Marcelo.