http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g84TG_GbGmg0KYpU0rWja872XM 4wD98FB1700 Anger, disappointment sour EU parliament vote By CONSTANT BRAND
BRUSSELS (AP) - Extremist and fringe parties are expected to make gains when voting begins next week for the European Parliament, a little-loved but highly symbolic assembly that increasingly makes vital decisions on issues ranging from climate change and online privacy to cell-phone roaming charges. Polls indicate that voters from Romania to Ireland will show up in record low numbers to select the only democratic institution in the European Union, yet one that many voters around the nations that form the still-evolving union see as wasteful and somehow irrelevant. Polls suggest the center-right European People's Party will return as the largest group, followed by the Socialists and centrist Liberal Democrats. But even small gains could provide meaningful platforms for extremist parties like the virulently anti-immigrant French National Front and the British National Party, which stands a good chance of winning its first seat. That, observers say, could increase the gnawing sense of public disappointment with the 51-year-old European Union, which many see as an aloof bureaucracy out of touch with ordinary voters and insensitive to the national sentiment they often retain despite integration. Perhaps worse still: the union seems now to be failing to deliver the prosperity that caused many to put national feelings aside. Its response to the global economic crisis has been widely seen as indecisive, piecemeal and halfhearted. Parties skeptical of greater European unification are expected to see greater success than the fringe parties, potentially giving a louder voice to mainstream voter dissatisfaction with the EU. "For the parliament, it's very much a test of its credibility," said Jacki Davis, an analyst at the European Policy Center, a Brussels-based think tank. Some 375 million voters across the 27-nation union will be able to cast their ballots June 4-7 in the second-largest elections in the world, after India's. Mainstream parties and candidates have been desperate to avoid a repeat of the last vote five years ago, which saw fringe and extreme parties take over 50 seats in the 785-seat assembly, which shrinks to 736 seats under new treaty rules. An EU survey of 28,000 EU citizens released this week showed only 43 percent of those polled would "definitely vote." That's down from 62 percent who actually turned out to vote in the first such elections in 1979, and below the previous record of 45.5 percent in 2004. "The lower the turnout the more likely fringe parties are likely to do well and that's because those who are really motivated to come out and vote will vote," Davis said. Mindful of voter anger and the economic climate, the parliament has reduced pay and perks in response to allegations of corruption and mismanagement. New rules will force members to submit receipts for all expenses. Until now, legislators could ask to be reimbursed for full-fare air tickets while using discount carriers or cars to get to parliaments sessions in Brussels or Strasbourg, France. They were legally entitled to pocket the difference. In addition, lawmakers will now earn euro7,665 ($10,430) a month, ending the rule that European Parliament members get the same pay as their counterparts in national legislatures, some of which paid more, while others paid far less. While many previous candidates were not taken seriously in their home countries, national parties have lined up some veteran candidates for the parliament this time, including French Justice Minister Rachida Dati, 43, and former Belgian premier Guy Verhofstadt, 56 as well as a slew of other ex-ministers and EU commissioners. There still will be no lack of colorful candidates. Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has put forward an ex-Miss Italy contestant to bolster his party's chances, as well as himself. The Pirate Party in Sweden is calling for the legalization of Internet file-sharing and could also win a seat. Legislators will have powers to shape new Europe-wide rules affecting the daily lives of Europeans. They have the right to vote on or amend, together with EU governments, two-thirds of all laws that take effect in all 27 EU states. These cover immigration, environment, transport, consumer protection, trade and other areas. The parliament also has a say over appointing presidents of the European Commission, who oversees the day-to-day running of the EU bloc, and helps draft new laws. To bolster the appeal of the elections the parliament has spent euro18 million ($25 million) this month on a media ad blitz on TV, radio, billboards and online. And one EU lawmaker, Johannes Lebech embarked on a rare, if not futile re-election campaign by train across eight EU states, including his native Denmark, to drum up turnout and support for his party. Armed with a laptop and a good dose of optimism, he is tweeting and blogging daily to update his electorate back home. "We make a lot of legislation for daily life in Europe, it's up to 80 percent of legislation that matters for people that we are doing in the European Parliament," he said. "Let's hope they will look at me just as a crazy devoted European." Copyright C 2009 The Associated Press ---------------------------- Vali "Noble blood is an accident of fortune; noble actions are the chief mark of greatness." "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." Aboneaza-te la <mailto:ngo_list-subscr...@yahoogroups.com> ngo_list: o alternativa moderata (un pic) la [ngolist] Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this email?
