Towards Transnational European Democracy? The New Battles Lines of the 2019 European Parliament Election

Abstract

The EU’s political system has never caught up with the impact European integration has had on citizens’ daily lives. EU citizens still vote in the European Parliament elections on different dates, according to different electoral laws, and in support of candidates selected by national parties and on the basis of domestic agendas. Yet this is set to change. With less than a year to go before the European Parliament elections, the EU political landscape is about to undergo a deep and historical shake-up. While populists are poised to disrupt the Parliament, a new wave of little-noticed transnational parties is emerging from the bottom-up. They both threaten established, mainstream political parties that have historically hold a monopoly of the European ‘project’. This paper traces their genesis, evolution and raison d'être before identifying their major features and political prospect.

Keywords: Elections, Parties, Europe, trasnational parties, European Parliament, Spitzenkandidated, Trasnational list

JEL Classification: K00, H00, F00