Brussels, 25/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - Following a number of polls, published by PollWatch, for instance, putting the Socialists and European Democrats (S&D) ahead, a new poll carried out by TNS Opinion and published on 24 March indicating voting indications in the member says this time that the EPP is in the lead in the next European elections. According to this survey, the EPP will win 219 seats as opposed to 204 for the S&D. The most recent poll published by PollWatch on 19 March indicated that the S&D and EPP were almost neck and neck, with 214 seats for the S&D and 213 for the EPP and also highlighted the fact that the gap between the two groups was narrowing.
According to the TNS, ALDE will still be the third biggest group at the EP with 61 seats, followed by the GUE/NGL (51), Greens (45), ECR (42), with the non-attached obtaining 36 seats. The ELD would win 26 and “the others”, 67. According to the PollWatch on 19 March, the “others” group, which includes the far Left and far Right, were opn course for 90 seats.
In this setup and under the rules governing the main political parties, the EPP will have the privilege of being the biggest group at the EP and will therefore, in theory, have the right to put forward its candidate, Jean-Claude Juncker, for the presidency of the European Commission. On 7 March in Dublin, the latter confirmed that this rule would apply. In February, Joseph Daul also provided assurances that, “if we are ahead, Jean-Claude Juncker will be our candidate for the Commission”. The EPP president again highlighted the fact that “he has therefore accepted his candidacy”.
At an informal evening meeting on 27 May, the EU 28 will be expected to take into account the election results in order to decide who will be the next leaders of the Commission but nothing obliges them to follow the choices made by the European Parliament. The latter will, at any rate, have to elect the candidate put forward by the Council by simple majority voting of its members: 376 votes out of 751. (SP)