to European Parliament
* European Union
THE
Emus
CENTRAL
BANKER
ATE MY WAGES www. wwwwww www wwww ww ww wwwwww man wwwww wwwww www wwww. www wwww. wwww wa ww www wwwwwwww wwwwww w wwwwwww
Revolutionaries elected
The LCR has a significant role in the
Despite an overall swing to trade union left, and in Frances many the right, revolutionary dynamic social movements, such as AC!
socialists, Greens and other
(unemployment) DAL (homelessness), radicals increased their sup-
Ras I'Front (anti-fascist) and the moveport in June elections to the ment in support of the sans-papiers (undocumented immigrants). According to
(almost powerless) European
Alain Krivine, "the challenge, ever since parliament the big public sector strike in 1995, has been to find a political expression for the
In France, the LO-LCR list won 5.2% radicalisation in the social movement left." [See Rouge editorial on page 5]
(almost one million votes). That means
In general, French voters moved to three seats for the Trotskyist LO, and two for the Fourth Internationalist LCR.
Although the LCR is the larger of the
The extreme right lost five of its ten two, LO has a longer tradition of electo-
European seats—partly the resultof a split between Jean-Marie le Pen and his ral participation. So LO spokeswoman former deputy Bruno Mégret. Le Pen's
Arlette Laguiller was top of the joint list,
National Front scored 5.7% and will followed by Alain Krivine of the LCR.
2 International Viewpoint #313 July 1999 send five fascist deputies to the European parliament. Bruno Mégret's National Movement scored 3.3% (in France only parties which win at least 5% are represented in parliament). In the 1994 Euro-Elections, the (still-united) National Front scored 10.5%.
France's conservative parties have also suffered splits and lost votes.
Leonel Jospin's centre-left government increased its share of the vote. Jospin's Socialist/Radical grouping increased its score to 22%, wining six new seats, (for a total of 22). The Greens increased their vote from 2.9% to 9.7%, which gives them nine seats (they had none in the outgoing European parliament)
The French Communist Party did not share in this surge of votes for the government coalition. The party's vote declined slightly, from 6.9% in 1994 to 6.8% in 1999. The party maintained its six seats.
Preliminary reports suggest that while some voters moved from the centre-left towards the Communists, an equal number of Communist voters switched to LO-LCR in frustration at CP participation in the Jospin government. Italy
The Party of Communist Refoundation won only four European Parliament seats, and 4.3% of the vote. In 1994 they scored 6.1%, taking five seats. In the last national election the party scored 8.6%). Among the unsuccessful Rifondazione candidates was Gigi Malabarba, a supporter of Bandierra Rossa, the Fourth International caucus.
Armando Cossuta's right split from the PRC won two seats. Germany
The Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) got its best result ever, 5.8%. (The party scored 4.7% in the 1994 Euro-Election, and 5.1% in the last national election. For the first time it has Euro
The Greens lost five of their 12 seats. Their vote declined from 10.1% in 1994 Netherlands
The Green Left party had a major breakthrough, wining four European Parliament seats (up from one) and 11.9% of the vote. In the 1994 EuroElection they won 3.7%.
The ex-Maoist Socialist Party ("Tomato Party") won 5%, electing its first Euro MP, a comrade well respected by left groups outside the SP. In 1994 the party attracted only 1.3%, and in the last national election 3.5%.
The Socialist Party was the only Dutch parliamentary party to oppose NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.
The fourth internationalist SAP group supported the SP election campaign.
Brit Scot fron Scot as Sup! nati first win Euro Irel the 199 enol Parl 11.0 part seat the elec fron Sw the seat. 199. 199 four did Dei vote Soc 8.69 one Fin two last 13. Elec mot Parl Au: 6.79 the Bel 11. Eur Gre slip Cor 6.30 seat
Britain
The Greens, Welsh nationalists and Scottish nationalists each won two seats.
The Greens increased their score from 3.2% in 1994 to 6.3%. Welsh and Scottish nationalists scored 4.5% (same as in 1994). Only 2.5% of voters supported these parties during the last national election (held under Britain's first-past-the-post system).
The Scottish Socialist Party did not win enough votes for a seat in the European parliament. Ireland
The Greens increased their share of the vote to 6.7%, winning two seats. In 1994 they won 3.7% of the vote, not enough for a Member of the European Parliament.
Although the Labour vote fell from 11.0% in 1994 to 8.8%, this time the party will have a deputy.
Sinn Fein failed to win European seats in either part of the island. But in the southern Irish local and municipal elections, Sinn Fein won 62 seats (up from 28). Sweden
The radical Left Party won 15.8% of the vote (12.9% in 1994), taking three seats in the European parliament (none in 1994).
The Green vote fell from 17.2% in 1994 to 9.4%. The party lost two of its four seats in the EuroParliament.
The Socialist Party (4' International) did not present candidates. Denmark
Anti-EU parties won 23.4% of the vote, maintaining their four seats. The Socialist People's Party dropped from 8.6% in 1994 to 7.1%, but maintained its one seat. Finland
The ex-Comunists lost one of their two seats (9.1%, down from 10.5% in the last Euro-Election).
The Greens increased their vote to 13.4% (from 7.6% at the last Euro-Election). This gives them two seats (one more than in the outgoing European Parliament). Austria
The Greens increased their vote from 6.7% to 9.3%, winning a second seat in the European Parliament. Belgium
The Green vote increased from 11.5% to 15.8%. They now have five European MPs, up from two). Greece
The governing socialists (PASOK) slipped from 34.3% to 31.1%. The Communists increased their vote from 6.3% to 8.7%, which gives them three seats (up from two). Other left parties increased their vote from 6.3% to 8.7%, winning four seats (up from two. Portugal
The Communist coalition lost one of its two seats in the European Parliament, after a slight decline in their vote (from 11.2% to 10.3%.) Spain
The worst news for the left came from the Spanish state, where the (bitterly divided) United Left fell from 13.6% to 5.8%. They retain one of their five seats in the European parliament. One of the party's unsuccessful candidates was our regular collaborator Jaime Pastor.
Nationalist parties from Spain's oppressed nations increased their combined vote from 11.1% to 15.3%, and their representation in the European parliament from one to six seats.
Even in opposition, Spanish social democrats lost votes to the conservative People's Party. Greens and government
Ecological parties did well in Belgium, France, Britain and Holland, but badly in Germany. Only the British Greens opposed the NATO war against
In France, Germany and Italy, Green ministers participate in less-than-impressive governments, while the Dutch and Belgium greens are desperate to participate in government. In Holland, the Green Left suggests a coalition with the Christian Democrats as well as the Labour Party.
The good result for the French Greens came after a particularly rightwing campaign led by one-time May *68 hero Danny Cohn-Bendit, who even supports the neoliberal European Monetary Union. Social Democrats
The elections were bad news for social democrats, who govern all the EU states except Ireland and Spain. Voters sanctioned the social democratic governments. Christian Democrats have replaced the Social Democrat bloc as the biggest European parliamentary group. Extreme right
Despite its recent split, France's National Front kept five of its ten Euro MPs.
In Belgium the fascist Flemish Bloc won 16-17% in the Dutch-speaking northern half of the country. It is now the biggest party in the main Flemish cities.
Austria's Freedom Party declined from 27.6% to 23.5%, losing one of its six seats.
The Danish far-right scored 5.8%, wining one seat. [PD/BS/JD] * An updated version of this article, and interviews with successful left candidates, is available on our webstite, <come.to/international-viewpoint.
contents europe
2
Revolutionaries elected to
European Parliament
4 European Appeal for peace in the Balkans
France: Far left "affirms"
5 itself • Rouge editorial
6
NATO-Serbia: The politics of human rights • Debate between Western and Serbian human rights groups
8
Europe's Social Democrats
• François Vercammen
German Greens join estab-
10 lishment • David Müller
Special report on Brazil
12 Human rights and the people's government in Rio
Grande • Mark Johnson
14
The Socialist Democracy current • Jean Dupont
15
Building the Workers Party
• Mark Johnson asia
16
Kashmir conflict
• Praful Bidawi
17 Pakistan: bread not bombs!
• Mohammed Farooq
18 Is China really stable?
• Zhang Kai
19
Pakistan: National Workers
Party
Report from the
Philippines
20 Liberating the left
• Mark Johnson
20
Mindanao Peace Caravan
21
Organising the urban poor
The fair trade challenge
22
Street children
23
24
Fair trade, foul play
Labour unity
25
26
Stop the union busters!
Plantation workers
27
Rural community building
28
29
Organising rural women
The Revolutionary Workers
30
Party africa
24 The ANC after Mandela
• Carl Brecker
-Pupils of the World Bank
25
• Patrick Bond listings and reviews
36 books: Trade unions in
South Africa
36 Internet
International Viewpoint #313 July 1999 3
Kosovo