European Parliament Election: May 23-26, 2019

[Helsinkian]

"There was long interview of a certain Finnish politician, who said that are no reason to have right-of-EPP forces in four different groups. The biggest problem for uniting all of them to one group, is naturally Putin."

Which one, Halla-aho? Can you link it?

Leader of the Finns Party (I shall not write his name). It was an radio podcast dedicated to Europian matters in YLE this week.

https://areena.yle.fi/1-4406221

Amusingly, even YLE manages to misspell his name. It's Halla-aho, not Halla-Aho.

[Helsinkian]

Anyone is more charismatic than Katainen.

Stubb is a charismatic politician, even if one doesn't like his politics. He's fluent in five languages, too. EPP's party congress will be held in Helsinki; I wonder if that will play to his advantage.

[Helsinkian]

Isn't there supposed to be a new Finnish Liberal Party that is trying to get off the ground?

That would be Liike Nyt ("Movement Now") which was founded by Harry Harkimo, an MP who quit the National Coalition Party in the spring, and Mikael Jungner, former party secretary of the Social Democrats who quit that party a couple of years ago. They currently have one MP, Harkimo. They claim that "we're a movement, not a party" but they wouldn't be the first party to use that rhetoric. So far they have not begun to collect the signatures needed for official party registration, though, but they can participate in elections without that status as well.

[Helsinkian]

Alexander Stubb is going to run for EPP Spitzenkandidat, challenging Manfred Weber.

[Helsinkian]

Even the Finnish Christian Democrats are supporting Weber over Stubb.

[Helsinkian]

EPP delegate vote:

621 votes, 2 invalid.

492 votes for Weber so must be 127 for Stubb

Do we have any breakup by country/party?

I think it was a secret ballot.

[Helsinkian]

First Trump wants Europe to take care of its own defence. And then when Macron suggests that the EU do just that, Trump gets offended and pretends like it's aimed against the US.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1061003186125856769

[Helsinkian]

- Yellow Vests list

Is there any intention for such a list?

[Helsinkian]

So, if Brexit ends up being delayed, that would mean that the UK would participate in this election after all, correct? What would then happen to the new seat distribution?

[Helsinkian]

In Finland the EP situation is quite open, due the national elections only one month before.

I have a feeling that this will lead to a very low turnout in the EP election ("But I just voted last month!"), but we'll see...

[Helsinkian]

In Finland the EP situation is quite open, due the national elections only one month before.

I have a feeling that this will lead to a very low turnout in the EP election ("But I just voted last month!"), but we'll see...

I imagine the EU election will be used as leverage on government negotiations and/or as a "2nd round of the election" if the result is close or uncertain enough right?

Also, can't Finland simply delay the election and have it the same day as the EU election or is the parliamentary term over?

Some wanted to delay it, but the parties could not agree on it.

[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?

[Helsinkian]

With the third defeat of May's deal, the likelihood of UK participating in this election just went up to about 90%. What a debacle.

[Helsinkian]

Is Alessandra Mussolini running? She was just in the news for her Twitter meltdown.

[Helsinkian]

Today was the deadline for the Finnish parties to name their candidates. Finland's personal vote driven open list electoral system is shown in the fact that many MPs elected to the Finnish Parliament just last sunday are now running in the EP election as well. Some of them would take their seat in the EP if elected, but for example Merja Kyllönen of Left Alliance, an MEP who was elected to the Finnish Parliament on sunday, has said that she would not take the seat and would let whoever ends up next on the list take it instead.

[Helsinkian]

When is deadline for all states?

What do you mean by "deadline" ?

PS: there are member countries, not states.

"State" has several meanings. State in the meaning of "sovereign state" is an older term than state as in "subdivision of a federation".

state

[...] a politically organized body of people usually occupying a definite territory
especially : one that is sovereign

[...] one of the constituent units of a nation having a federal government

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/state

[Helsinkian]

Amazing map:

Europe from Left to Right
https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2019-05/elections-in-europe-eu-countries-results-map-english

So PiS is far-right but Fidesz is merely conservative?

[Helsinkian]

KOK continues to benefit from low turnout in European elections in Finland.

And it's actually 48% counted. 21% was the turnout in early voting.

[Helsinkian]

Prognosis in Finland:

National Coalition Party 20.4%
Greens 15.4%
Social Democrats 15%
Finns Party 14.2%
Centre 13.7%
Left 6.9%
Swedish People's Party 6.3%
Christian Democrats 4.9%

[Helsinkian]

https://twitter.com/EuropeElects/status/1132709279679602689

BritainElects is a Twitter account. What's the source here?

[Helsinkian]

Does anyone have a link to the British edition of BBC news? All those I've found are region-locked.

Does it have to be BBC? Sky News is available on YouTube.

[Helsinkian]

Finland 100% counted:

National Coalition Party (EPP) 20.8% – 3 MEPs
Green League  (G-EFA) 16% – 2 MEPs
Social Democratic Party (S&D) 14.6% – 2 MEPs
Finns Party (ECR > EAPN) 13.8% – 2 MEPs
Centre Party (ALDE) 13.5% – 2 MEPs
Left Alliance (GUE-NGL) 6.9% – 1 MEP
Swedish People's Party (ALDE) 6.3% – 1 MEP
Christian Democrats (EPP) 4.9% – 0 MEPs

Centre loses one seat, the Greens gain one seat. If Brexit happens then the Greens get a third MEP.

[Helsinkian]

The wait for official results to be released at 11pm is highly annoying ...

I think the EU should punish Italy for being such dicks. Italy it seems does not care about old people like me who have to get up early tomorrow for work. I think they should return South Tyrol to Austria as punishment.

Just break the rules. No one in Finland has even mentioned the rule about delaying the results until midnight local time, nor has it been followed.

[Helsinkian]

The number of Italian late voters who allow Finnish results to affect their vote? Zero.

[Helsinkian]

So, UK's South East region just elected two MEPs who are both named Alexandra Phillips. Wild.

https://twitter.com/Spikeyorks/status/1132789745648644096