Pro-sovereignty parties from stateless nations have obtained, in general terms, a positive result in the European elections despite the high rate of abstention and the predominance of right wing parties. The Scottish National Party has become again the strongest party within the European Free Alliance (EFA), the European party that brings together most of pro-sovereignty political forces. Alex Salmond’s party, which is to hold a referendum for Scotland’s independence next year, has seen its support increase and kept its 2 MEP –SNP president, Ian Hudghton, and Alyn Smith. The Scottish Labour Party also secured 2 seats, but obtained 100,000 votes less than SNP. In Wales, Plaid Cymru will contribute to EFA party with one seat, held by Jill Evans.

Sinn Féin has done well in Ireland, particularly in the North, where it has come first in number of votes, and will return at least a MEP, Bairbre de Brún, waiting for voters’ second choice. In Cornwall, nationalist list Mebyon Kernow has polled almost 15,000 votes, but failed to get a seat.

Pro-sovereignty lists have performed remarkably well in France, where results by coalition Europe Écologie, formed mainly by environmentalists but also by Basque, Catalan, Corsican, Breton and Occitan nationalist and pro-independence parties, has come as a complete surprise. The coalition polled more than 15% of the vote and will return 14 candidates to Strasbourg, one of which will be François Alfonsi (Party of the Corsican Nation), who will join EFA-Greens. The results placed Europe Écologie neck and neck with the France’s second party, the PSF (Socialists).

In Spain, both Catalan Convergència i Unió (CiU) and Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ-PNV), which run together in coalition, have obtained one seat each. Their candidates, Ramon Tremosa and Izaskun Bilbao will join the European Liberal Party.

The coalition of left pro-independence parties, headed by Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) and which included the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) and Basque parties Aralar and Eusko Alkartasuna (EA), polled one seat, which probably will be shared by candidates from the first three parties (Oriol Junqueras, Ana Miranda and Iñaki Irazabalbeitia).

Finally, it is worth noting the significant results obtained by Iniciativa Internacionalista (II-SP), the list the Spanish courts tried to ban for allegedly having close ties with Batasuna. Their candidates attracted 170,000 votes all over Spain, but polled most of the votes –138.313– in the Basque Country, attracting more than 13% of the electorate in Navarre and the Basque autonomous community. Despite the support gained, they were far from securing a seat.

Other results worth mentioning are those performed by the joint list of Hungarians from Romania, led by historical leader Laszlo Tokes. The Hungarians in Romania, with 3 seats, will be one of the best represented minorities in the European Parliament. The elected MEP’s will join EFA-Greens (Tokes), while the rest will align with the European Popular Party.

In Flanders, a country where European elections were pushed into the background by regional elections, far-right party Vlaams Belang obtained 2 seats, and pro-independence New Flemish Alliance and List Dedecker secured one seat each.

In Italy, the main South Tyrolese party, Südtiroler Volkspartei, secured one seat, and in Aosta valley, pro-autonomy candidate Roberto Louvin (Valdotanian Renewal), who run for the joint list Alpine Community, is still waiting for the voters’ second choice to be made public to confirm his seat.

Further information:

• Results of the elections
• Nationalia:Collective rights of peoples, in Europe through the voice of pro-sovereignty and pro-independence parties (1)