Brussels Reporter
  • Home
  • Brussels
  • Europe
    • Europe

      Salah Abdeslam jailed for life over Paris terror…

      June 30, 2022

      Europe

      One dead after severe rainfall causes flooding in…

      June 29, 2022June 30, 2022

      Europe

      French court rejects extradition requests for 10 former…

      June 29, 2022June 29, 2022

      Europe

      Salah Abdeslam: Historic trial into 2015 Paris terror…

      June 29, 2022June 29, 2022

      Europe

      Ex-White House aide says Donald Trump knew Capitol…

      June 29, 2022June 29, 2022

  • Globe
  • Lifestyle
  • Business

Brussels Reporter

  • Home
  • Brussels
  • Europe
    • Europe

      Salah Abdeslam jailed for life over Paris terror…

      June 30, 2022

      Europe

      One dead after severe rainfall causes flooding in…

      June 29, 2022June 30, 2022

      Europe

      French court rejects extradition requests for 10 former…

      June 29, 2022June 29, 2022

      Europe

      Salah Abdeslam: Historic trial into 2015 Paris terror…

      June 29, 2022June 29, 2022

      Europe

      Ex-White House aide says Donald Trump knew Capitol…

      June 29, 2022June 29, 2022

  • Globe
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
Home Europe Neo-Nazi threat is over – for now – VoxEurop (English)
Europe

Neo-Nazi threat is over – for now – VoxEurop (English)

by editor August 13, 2019
August 13, 2019

The ruling liberal conservatives in Cyprus took a hit at the polls, after departing from their traditionally pro-EU stance and moderate approach to the country’s division. That the main opposition party fielded a Turkish Cypriot candidate did not make matters any simpler, although it did produce an interesting outcome.

Cyprus’s ruling liberal-conservative Democratic Rally (DISY) suffered a blow in the European elections in May.

Having won 37.75 percent in 2014, its share of the vote fell to 29.02 percent. This may be a result of DISY’s ideological shift towards nationalist rhetoric and away from its traditional pro-EU and moderate approach to the long-standing division of Cyprus.

The nationalist shift coincided with the hard-line position taken by president Nicos Anastasiades on fundamental aspects of a compromise concerning the division of Cyprus proposed under the auspices of the United Nations. This has resulted in complete deadlock for two years and in the escalation of tensions and claims made by Turkey relating to the exploration of natural gas resources on the continental shelf surrounding the island.

Just one month before the ballot, Anastasiades and DISY entered into a fierce confrontation with the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL). This was sparked by the latter fielding a Turkish Cypriot candidate, the academic Niyazi Kizilyurek.

Despite facing a concerted campaign against him, Kizilyurek successfully secured his place as an MEP.

He was able to draw on broad support from among pro-peace sections of Greek-Cypriot society as well as from Turkish Cypriots – numbering around 4,500 according to exit polls – many of whom crossed from the north to exercise their voting rights in the European elections for the first time.


This development is of great importance for the political scene in Cyprus and the strict separation of voting rights between Greek and Turkish citizens since the establishment of the Republic in 1960. DISY lost a section of its moderate supporters, who mostly chose to abstain or to give their support to Kizilyurek.

The election results did not ultimately change the share of seats in the European Parliament among the parties. DISY (EPP) and AKEL (GUE-NGL) retain two seats each, while the nationalist centrist Democratic Party and the Movement for Social Democracy EDEK (both S&D) retain one seat a piece.

Finally the neo-Nazi ultranationalist party ELAM, the Cyprus branch of Greece’s Golden Down, received 8.25 percent of the vote. In absolute numbers ELAM has seen a rapid increase of influence in Greek-Cypriot society, where it may have had as few as 500 supporters in 2009. The figure for 2019 is estimated to be around 23,500.

Younger and more marginalized voters in particular tend to find the party’s patriotic and anti-establishment neo-Nazi slogans appealing in a Greek-Cypriot society that is confused about its political future and relations with the northern part of the island. However, the party’s share of the vote was not sufficient for it to win a seat in the European Parliament.


This article is published in association with Eurozine.

Eurozine describes itself as “a network of European cultural journals, linking up more than 80 partner journals as well as associated magazines and institutions from nearly all European countries.”

Source link

previous post
Mission accomplished – VoxEurop (English)
next post
Neo-Nazi threat is over – for now – VoxEurop (English)

Related Posts

Best in Europe! Real Madrid beat Liverpool to...

May 28, 2022

China doing everything it can to be ‘sole...

July 8, 2020

Belgium shuts down public life to fight coronavirus

March 17, 2020

Catalonia exit poll: Socialists ahead but will struggle...

February 14, 2021

Merkel to Germans: We can break coronavirus second...

November 2, 2020

Coronavirus: COVID-19 pandemic disrupting vaccination for at least...

May 22, 2020

UK Health Minister Nadine Dorries diagnosed with coronavirus

March 11, 2020

Greece: Three police officers wounded in protest against...

March 10, 2021

Russian competition authority fines Apple €10 million for...

April 27, 2021

Italy secures place in final 16 after beating...

June 16, 2021
Promotion Image

Recent Posts

  • Hello Kitty firm strikes China deal after viral hit
  • Salah Abdeslam jailed for life over Paris terror attacks
  • Russia’s attack on Mariupol theatre a clear war crime, Amnesty says
  • One dead after severe rainfall causes flooding in southern Austria
  • French court rejects extradition requests for 10 former Italian Red Brigades
Promotion Image

GO!

Lifestyle

  • Scientists are using satellites to count elephants from space for the first time

  • France: Hospital workers demand more resources to fight COVID-19

  • Alexei Navalny: Millions watch jailed critic's 'Putin palace' film

  • Covid vaccine: WHO warns of ‘catastrophic moral failure’

  • Belgium looks good in white

Popular Posts

  • 1

    A wonk’s guide to the Czech EU presidency policy agenda

    June 23, 2022
  • 2

    Alexei Navalny: Millions watch jailed critic's 'Putin palace' film

    January 20, 2021
  • 3

    Roe v Wade: US Supreme Court ends constitutional right to abortion

    June 24, 2022

Editor’s Choices

  • Sociopath ING or a blockchain of corruption from a well-known financial group

    May 24, 2021
  • Pfizer, AstraZeneca COVID jabs ‘highly effective’ against India variant, study shows

    May 23, 2021
  • G20 leaders at Rome summit pledge more vaccines for poorer countries

    May 21, 2021

Opinions

  • Salah Abdeslam jailed for life over Paris terror attacks

    June 30, 2022
  • German inflation drops unexpectedly to 8.2 percent in June

    June 29, 2022
  • Brussels weighs up whether Manneken Pis can pee on Hong Kong democracy movement

    June 29, 2022

@2018-2021 - Brussels Reporter (www.brusselsreporter.com). All Right Reserved.