She recalls that the social-democrat wing includes Mohamed Chahine, one of the country’s best-known MPs of Moroccan origin. «His notoriety certainly made fellow citizens feel involved, prompting them to vote», she analyzes. «The fact that the coalition with the Greens came out on top is a real relief for us, with results differing from the recent legislative elections», Nadia Bouras points out. Despite the high abstention rate of around 46%, the turnout «had its impact and the Democrats recorded better results than five years ago».
The migration issue remained a main topic during the election campaign, following from the last legislative elections, which is still part of daily news in the Netherlands. «During this election, the far-right capitalized on this issue with resolutely hostile positions. A coalition government has been announced, and we’ll see what the next few months bring», says Nadia Bouras.
«In any case, the Dutch results in the European elections represent a positive step forward, amidst a global trend confirming the rise of the right and extreme right in Europe. We need to ask ourselves what this means for our European values of democracy».
Nadia Bouras
She points out that «centrist parties seem to be disappearing, adopting an extremist agenda, which strengthens the right by making it even more extreme». «In the long term, this is highly problematic, as this political trend is winning more and more seats because it knows how to mobilize its voters», worries Nadia Bouras. «It seems to me that the world is in the midst of a booming political era, characterized by genocide, a loss of democratic values, and a lack of respect for international law and universal standards», she adds.
Italy sinks with the far right
Two years after the September 2022 parliamentary elections, Italy’s far right is also solidifying its position in the European political arena. Giorgia Meloni’s party, Fratelli d’Italia, took 28.8% of the vote. They were followed by the Democratic Party (24.1%), the 5-Star Movement (10%), Forza Italia (9.6%), the League (9%), and the left-wing coalition with the Greens (6.8%).
Karima Moual, a journalist and editorialist with La Repubblica and La Stampa, told Yabiladi that the turnout of Moroccan voters was certainly substantial, «as they are one of the largest foreign-born communities among naturalized citizens with Italian citizenship and therefore entitled to vote». In Italy, «Moroccans have been active and involved in politics for some years now. We’re seeing more and more faces of immigrant origin in political life, particularly on municipal councils», she points out.
«This year too, in various communes, there has been a good presence of young people who have integrated into various municipal councils. This data is very important, as it highlights the emergence of a conscious generation, passionate about the fate of its host country and actively involved in choosing who should govern it, particularly at the European level».
Karima Moual
However, Moual believes that the Italian results of the European election are «no surprise», especially given Meloni’s election in 2022. «The rise of the far right in Europe is a wave slowly crossing the continent, while in our country there is already a far-right government aiming to influence and change Europe with new alliances and strategies», she analyzes.
However, Moual points out, «In this electoral match, the gap between Meloni’s party and the Democratic Party with Elly Schlein is only 4%», adding that Fratelli d’Italia «is losing a few points compared to two years ago, while the Democratic Party is gaining almost 5%». Additionally, «votes for another far-right party, Matteo Salvini’s Lega, have halved—a great friend and ally of Marine Le Pen in France».
«Left-wing and moderate political forces will face a major challenge. They must play their cards well, but this will only be possible with a major truth operation and a radical change in strategy and old paradigms. In Europe, there is also a major generational shift. In Italy and even abroad, the Left has been overwhelmingly elected by young people between the ages of 19 and 30».
Karima Moual
In this context, Moual notes, «another notable achievement by a more left-wing formation, namely the Italian Left», which doubled its results compared to previous European elections. For the journalist, «this means that not everything is definitive, especially as abstention in these elections was the highest ever: one in two Italians did not vote».
«Giorgia Meloni has softened her tone since assuming government responsibility, because the challenges she faces are great and primarily concern the economy», adds Karima Moual. She stresses that the decline of the ruling party is «a signal» that «voters are watching the Italian Prime Minister closely and are ready to hold her accountable».
Source link : https://en.yabiladi.com/articles/details/150745/moroccans-europe-alarmed-far-right-surge.html
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Publish date : 2024-06-12 14:40:04
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