Brussels, 15/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - At a press conference devoted to post-election prospects of the European Left on Friday 12 June, some representatives gave their analysis of the reasons behind the Left's disappointing results. “Disaffection among average Left voters and especially from among workers” was, for Frenchwoman Christine Mendelsohn, a member of the European Left executive committee, the main reason for the Right's victory. She then gave some significant figures produced by Sofres, the leading French pollster: 31% of French voters abstained as a way of demonstrating their displeasure with the political parties, 22% because they said they could see no difference in the manifestos of the various parties, and 20% to show their disenchantment with the European project. To continue to build Europe without its people “or even against the will of the people” is, she said, dangerous.
Lothar Bisky, European Left leader, regretted the results in the Czech Republic and in Italy, which he called “catastrophic” and the trend towards the Left having less influence at a time when the party was becoming more active. “Good progress” in Portugal, France and Germany was noted, however. The election of the next Commission President was discussed as a possible reason behind the Left's loss of seats in the Parliament. According to Portuguese Renato Soeiro, the fact that José Manuel Barroso was supported in his candidacy by left-wing leaders such as Gordon Brown and José Luis Zapatero did not help the European Left. “They negotiated Barroso's re-election in advance and went into the elections already defeated”.
Attenuation of the financial crisis and improved communication will bring changes in the European Left, which is now looking towards the future and will keep its attention focused on new challenges at the UN conference on the impact of the economic crisis on development on 24-26 June, at the G20 summit in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania on 24-25 September ands at the climate conference in Copenhagen at the end of the year. (H.D./transl.rt)