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Greater fragmentation, a weaker centre and polarisation – what produced the new European Parliament?
With notable exceptions, the left did badly in the EU elections. Why? There are no easy answers, writes KEVIN OVENDEN

THE European elections confirmed the crisis of the European political systems. It predates the 2008 crash but was accelerated by it.

There isn’t a single “European electorate” but an agglomeration of 28 national political realities. The European Parliament lacks anything like the power of national legislatures.

That’s why though turnout was up in 20 countries and hit a 20-year high, it still fell far short (with most working-class voters abstaining) of a national election — except in Belgium where there was a general election.

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