Europe’s elections pitch centrists against populists, again

By Stanley Pignal

Elections in Europe, to paraphrase Mark Twain, do not repeat themselves, but they do rhyme. From Germany to Italy to Slovakia, there is a familiar pattern. Centrist parties that have held power for decades increasingly vie against hard-right rivals that would once have been deemed beyond the political pale. It will be the same story on June 9th as elections for the European Parliament are held across the eu’s 27 member states. Nationalist parties of various hues will fare well, but the centre is likely to hold. Sensible policies emanating from Brussels on everything from supporting Ukraine to cutting carbon emissions should carry on (mostly) unchanged, after the customary fight over who gets what top euro-job.