European Parliament Election: May 23-26, 2019

[Diouf]

"ALDE aims to break the mold with not one but at least seven leading candidates for top EU jobs. Their names will be presented at the March 21 meeting when the EU’s eight liberal prime ministers, as well as party leaders and European commissioners, kick off the group’s campaign at their usual pre-European Council summit meeting in Brussels.

Vestager would join a list of candidates which is also expected to include Luis Garicano, the lead candidate of Spain’s center-right Ciudadanos party, Nicola Beer, a German MP and secretary-general of the liberal FDP party, and Guy Verhofstadt, the liberal leader in the European Parliament and former Belgian prime minister."

https://www.politico.eu/article/vestager-sides-with-macron-as-eu-election-race-heats-up/

[Diouf]

The Swedish Liberals have ditched lead candidate Cecilia Wikström, MEP since 2009, after revelations that she have had well-paid board positions for companies Beijer-Alma and Elekta while being a MEP. This decision was made by the party's ethics committee. Perhaps Jan Björklund could be tempted to run, having announced that he is leaving as L leader?

[bigic]

Number of EPP Political Assembly delegates by party:
https://g8fip1kplyr33r3krz5b97d1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/COMPOSITION-PA-update-14-FEB-2019.pdf

Source: Politico
https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/brussels-playbook/politico-brussel-playbook-operation-saving-manfred-money-talks-in-the-year-of-the-yellow-jackets-happy-international-womens-day/

EPP Political Assembly will vote on expulsion of Fidesz from EPP.

[Farmlands]

I am really rooting for Fidesz to be kicked off the group. Not only is it the right thing to do, to such an authoritarian party, but it would also keep the EPP further away from the harmful far-right rhetoric that has infected Europe recently.

[Tender Branson]

I am really rooting for Fidesz to be kicked off the group. Not only is it the right thing to do, to such an authoritarian party, but it would also keep the EPP further away from the harmful far-right rhetoric that has infected Europe recently.

Yeah, Fidesz is better suited for the FPÖ/FN/Lega-group rather than the EPP - even if it means cutting in their own flesh for the EPP.

[bigic]

ECR, the group that includes one of Fidesz's biggest allies in Europe (Polish PiS) also wants Fidesz.

BTW I think that there is a path towards Fidesz being expelled from the EPP, even without CDU/CSU.

[Velasco]

Spain

Carles Puidemont, the ousted Catalan premier, will run in EP elections, on the top of the JvCAT list (Junts per Catalunya, Together for Catalonia)

https://www.politico.eu/article/puigdemont-carles-former-catalan-leader-to-run-in-eu-election-may/

Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont announced Sunday he will run in May's European Parliament election.

“It is time to step forward to internationalize the right to self-determination in Catalonia from the heart of Europe for the whole world,” Puigdemont tweeted.

Puigdemont, who went into self-imposed exile in Belgium in 2017 after the regional parliament declared independence, will be the lead candidate for his pro-independence Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) party, according to the party's website.

Madrid ousted Puigdemont and his government to impose direct rule following the independence declaration, and he still faces charges of rebellion for his role in the separatist push if he returns to Spain.

Besides that desire to "internationalize the conflict", this move is motivated by the tough rivalry between the main Catalan nationalist parties. Carles Puigdemont will compete against ERC leader Oriol Junqueras, who made a previous announcement. The ousted deputy premier will be the ERC candidate in the EP elections, as well as the "symbolic candidate" of the European Free Alliance (EFA) and the candidate in the Spanish general elections. Junqueras is the starring figure of the undergoing trial to the Catalan separatist leaders. Puigdemont is currently living in Waterloo, in the environs of Brussels.

According to Spanish polls, ERC is currently well ahead of the JxCAT/PDeCAT rivals.

[FredLindq]

Which parties have been expelled from their EP-groups?!

I know thar Lega Nord was expelled from ELDR, but do you know anymore?!

[bigic]

AFAIK AFD (Germany) from ECR, Smer (Slovakia) were briefly suspended from S&D after forming a coalition with a far-right party, and CDS (Portugal) from EPP. I'm sure there are more examples.

[Mike88]

AFAIK AFD (Germany) from ECR, Smer (Slovakia) were briefly suspended from S&D after forming a coalition with a far-right party, and CDS (Portugal) from EPP. I'm sure there are more examples.

CDS was expelled in 1993 for becoming eurosceptic, anti-Maastricht and for not paying fees to the EPP under the then leader, Manuel Monteiro. 10 years later, under Paulo Portas leadership, the CDS once again returned to the EPP by the hand of the PSD.

[Former President tack50]

Spain

Carles Puidemont, the ousted Catalan premier, will run in EP elections, on the top of the JvCAT list (Junts per Catalunya, Together for Catalonia)

https://www.politico.eu/article/puigdemont-carles-former-catalan-leader-to-run-in-eu-election-may/

According to Spanish polls, ERC is currently well ahead of the JxCAT/PDeCAT rivals.

Worth noting that there is already a precedent for this.

In 1989 businessman Jose Maria Ruiz Mateos was elected to the European parliament and got immunity even though he was under search and capture.

[Velasco]

Spain

Carles Puidemont, the ousted Catalan premier, will run in EP elections, on the top of the JvCAT list (Junts per Catalunya, Together for Catalonia)

https://www.politico.eu/article/puigdemont-carles-former-catalan-leader-to-run-in-eu-election-may/

According to Spanish polls, ERC is currently well ahead of the JxCAT/PDeCAT rivals.

Worth noting that there is already a precedent for this.

In 1989 businessman Jose Maria Ruiz Mateos was elected to the European parliament and got immunity even though he was under search and capture.

I don't know if legal requirements were different when Ruiz Mateos was elected, but according to the news it's unlikely that Puigdemont takes office and can return to Catalonia.

In case of being elected, Puigdemont must go to Madrid to comply with the Spanish Constitution at the parliament house in a session of the central electoral commission (Junta Electoral Central, JEC) that takes place on July 13. Otherwise he could not get his seat in the European Parliament. The problem is that Puigdemont could be arrested before, because legal immunity only comes into effect when he takes office. In case he doesn't go to Madrid on that date in July, the seat would be declared vacant until he complies in person on a later date or resigns in favour of the second in the list.

In related news, the PNV has suspended the decision to run in coalition with JxCAT. In previous EP elections the Basque Nationalists ran in a joint ticket with CiU, their traditional counterparts in Catalonia. The PNV wants to know what are the Puigdemont's intentions before making a decision. The relationship between the PNV leadership and Puigdemont cooled down after the events in October 2017.

[Mike88]

Portugal: PSD list (EPP) presented:

1. Paulo Rangel, current MEP
2. Lídia Pereira, leader of YouthEPP
3. José Manuel Fernandes, current MEP
4. Maria Graça Carvalho, former MEP
5. Álvaro Amaro, mayor of Guarda city
6. Cláudia Aguiar, nominated by PSD-Madeira
7. Carlos Coelho, current MEP
8. Ana Miguel dos Santos
9. Sónia Cristina dos Ramos
10. Teófilo dos Santos
11. Vânia Neto
12. Ricardo Morgado

The first 12 candidates are 50% male and 50% female. The rest, until number 21, has 0% chances of being elected, although the overall number of the PSD list has 15 women and 14 men.

[Tender Branson]

Only 5 of our projected 18 or 19 Members of the next EU Parliament are incumbents.

13 or 14 (depending if the UK delays Brexit and gets to vote as well) will be new.

ÖVP and FPÖ have 2 incumbents left each, the SPÖ one.

The NEOS and Green delegations will be completely new.

[Tender Branson]

Werner Kogler and Sarah Wiener (a popular TV cook) elected EP frontrunners for the Austrian Greens today.

  

This means all parties have now finalized their lists for the election.

[Diouf]

ALDE to present its Team Europe candidates on Thursday 21 March 11 45 CET at Egmont Palace.

It sounds like Vestager will be the biggest name, and there are already several articles about her expected candidacy: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-13/eu-antitrust-chief-margrethe-vestager-on-her-next-act

[Diouf]

AGI has the names of all seven ALDE lead candidates.

Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager (Radikale)
ALDE Group leader Guy Verhofstadt (Open VLD)
Senator Emma Bonino (Più Europa)
Economist & ALDE Vice-President Luis Garicano (Ciudadanos)
MP Nicola Beer (FDP)
Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc (SMC)
Dr. Katalin Cseh (Momentum)

https://www.agi.it/estero/ue_bonino-5168497/news/2019-03-19/

[bigic]

Surprisingly large majority for temporary suspension of Fidesz from the EPP - and why so few votes against? The EPP Political Assembly has 264 voting members according to Politico.

https://twitter.com/JosephDaul/status/1108421967756042240

[Diouf]

Surprisingly large majority for temporary suspension of Fidesz from the EPP - and why so few votes against? The EPP Political Assembly has 264 voting members according to Politico.

Sounds like a compromise between those wanting expulsion and those against it. ARD's Europe Correspondent, Markus Preiß, writes that this is in understanding with Orban, who will not move to leave the EPP.

[Helsinkian]

Previously Orbán had said that if Fidesz were temporarily suspended they would respond by resigning from EPP altogether. Apparently he has changed his mind then?

[Tender Branson]

Ö1 (radio) has the first EU (radio) debate of all 6 frontrunners right now:



Pictured from left to right:

Johannes Voggenhuber (NOW)
Werner Kogler (Greens)
Claudia Gamon (NEOS)
Andreas Schieder (SPÖ)
Harald Vilimsky (FPÖ)
Othmar Karas (ÖVP)

[Diouf]

Apparently, the EPP group (the three wise men) which will evaluate Fidesz will be former President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, former President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, and former Austrian Chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel

[Beagle]

Portugal: PSD list (EPP) presented:

1. Paulo Rangel, current MEP
2. Lídia Pereira, leader of YouthEPP
3. José Manuel Fernandes, current MEP
4. Maria Graça Carvalho, former MEP
5. Álvaro Amaro, mayor of Guarda city
6. Cláudia Aguiar, nominated by PSD-Madeira
7. Carlos Coelho, current MEP
8. Ana Miguel dos Santos
9. Sónia Cristina dos Ramos
10. Teófilo dos Santos
11. Vânia Neto
12. Ricardo Morgado

The first 12 candidates are 50% male and 50% female. The rest, until number 21, has 0% chances of being elected, although the overall number of the PSD list has 15 women and 14 men.

Any idea why Coelho got demoted? He's been here quite a few times in the past as the Parliament's rapporteur on Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen status, so many people, especially in GERB, would be sorry to see him lose his seat.

[Umengus]

Apparently, the EPP group (the three wise men) which will evaluate Fidesz will be former President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, former President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, and former Austrian Chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel

lol schussel. The last party to be suspended was... OVP (when Schussel was chancellor)

[Mike88]

Portugal: PSD list (EPP) presented:

1. Paulo Rangel, current MEP
2. Lídia Pereira, leader of YouthEPP
3. José Manuel Fernandes, current MEP
4. Maria Graça Carvalho, former MEP
5. Álvaro Amaro, mayor of Guarda city
6. Cláudia Aguiar, nominated by PSD-Madeira
7. Carlos Coelho, current MEP
8. Ana Miguel dos Santos
9. Sónia Cristina dos Ramos
10. Teófilo dos Santos
11. Vânia Neto
12. Ricardo Morgado

The first 12 candidates are 50% male and 50% female. The rest, until number 21, has 0% chances of being elected, although the overall number of the PSD list has 15 women and 14 men.

Any idea why Coelho got demoted? He's been here quite a few times in the past as the Parliament's rapporteur on Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen status, so many people, especially in GERB, would be sorry to see him lose his seat.

It was Rui Rio's choice. Coelho is a MEP since 1994, i believe, and Rio wanted to "shake up" and rejuvenate the PSD lists, not to mention he wanted full parity between men and women. Nonetheless, he can still be reelected. The PSD is polling at around 26% for the EP elections, and if they can increase that number to 27/28%, Carlos Coelho is easily reelected.