Europe votes to set stage for post-Brexit union
More than 400 million Europeans will be called to vote next week to set the stage as Brussels debates its post-Brexit future and faces a rising populist tide.
Eurosceptic forces are expected to seize ground in the European Parliament, buoyed by popular concerns about immigration, even if few parties want to quit the bloc.
Only in Britain, which voted in June 2016 to quit the union but has yet to decide how and when, are outright anti-European “leavers” expected to do well.
But once-marginal populist and nationalist parties have a new wind in their sails and could win enough seats to trouble Brussels’ federalist consensus.
The main centre-right and centre-left blocs in the Strasbourg assembly may have to offer alliances or concessions to populist rivals for the first time.
Voting will begin Thursday in a Britain roiled by parliamentary fighting over how to define Brexit, and Nigel Farage’s europhobe Brexit Party leads in polls.
The Netherlands votes the same day, followed by Ireland yesterday, some eastern countries today then France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the rest on Sunday.
The British result is not expected to change much in Brussels, although a strong showing by the Labour opposition may help the socialist bloc in Europe.
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