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Graphic shows distribution of the current European Parliament, voting dates, number of MEPs by country, factfiles of the eight political groups candidates, and main candidates
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EU

EU elections: Battle for the heart of Europe

By Jordi Bou

May 23, 2019 - May 26, 2019 - Voters go to the polls to elect a new parliament representing more than 500m people across 28 EU member states. Polls indicate that the dominant centrist groups will lose their 40-year majority of seats as Eurosceptic parties gain ground.

The signs are that the centre-left Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) will lose their combined majority and will need the support of other groups (most probably Liberals and Greens) to form a majority coalition.

Eurosceptic and anti-immigration parties look set to make the greatest gains. Some of these parties intend to form a new group, the European Alliance of Peoples and Nations, after the election.

French President Emmanuel Macron will be looking for a show of strength for his La République En Marche (LREM) to buttress his reform agenda after months struggling with the Yellow Vests protests.

With Brexit delayed amidst gridlock and indecision in the UK Parliament, the British electorate will have a chance to weigh in at the ballot box for the first time in two years.

Whatever the outcome, the European Parliament will play a big role in shaping the EU’s next five years, as the bloc grapples with faltering economic growth, climate change, indebted banks, migration, the rise of China, an erratic U.S. president, and of course Brexit.

KEY: European People’s Party, EPP, Alliance of Socialists
and Democrats, S&D, Greens / European Free Alliance, Greens/EFA, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, ALDE, European United Left/ Nordic Green Left, GUE/NGL, European Conservatives and Reformists, ECR, Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy, EFDD, Europe of Nations and Freedom, ENF, Non-Inscrits, NI, La France Insoumise, Linke, Podemos, Syriza, Law and Justice party, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, Danish People’s Party, Dansk Folkeparti, Finns Party, Perussuomalaiset, Alternative for Germany, AfD, Alternative für Deutschland, Five Star Movement, Movimento 5 Stelle, Brexit Party, Far-right group, League, Lega Nord, National Rally, Rassemblement national, Austria’s Freedom Party, Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ, Party for Freedom, Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV, Manfred Weber, Ska Keller, Bas Eickhout, Oriol Junqueras, Guy Verhofstadt, CDU/CSU, Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands, Christian Social Union in Bavaria, Christlich-Soziale Union in Bayern, Spain’s Socialist Party (PSOE), Partido Socialista Obrero Español, La République en Marche, French president Emmanuel Macron, Eurosceptic, Far-right group, including, Anti-immigration, Pro-European, Environmentalists, Far-left.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 10/05/2019; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty Images
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