Conservative and far-right parties are doing well in Europe. The social democratic group, the green group, and the left-wing group are all losing ground in the European Parliament.
However, in the Nordic countries, the red-green parties are achieving success.
A red-green wave is emerging in the Nordic countries in the EU election. In Sweden, both the Social Democrats, the Green Party, and the Left Party are making gains, while the Sweden Democrats are losing ground for the first time. In Finland, the Left Alliance is gaining two new seats, and in Denmark, the Socialist People's Party is becoming the largest among voters.
Marie Demker is a professor of political science at the University of Gothenburg. She compares the election results in the Nordic countries with those in France and Germany, where the far-right parties, the National Rally and AfD, are achieving great success.
According to her, there are three explanations for why the Nordic countries stand out.
A second explanation is a pro-EU opinion in the Nordic member states, Demker argues.
Demker emphasises that Nordic voters who are left of centre today are more positive towards EU cooperation than voters who are right of centre.
The final explanation that Demker sees for the red-green wave in the Nordic countries concerns voter turnout. In Sweden, voter turnout decreased compared to 2019, when the last EU election was held.
A hypothesis as to why the Sweden Democrats and the Finns Party are losing ground in the election, according to Demker, is that both parties are part of the government's base of support.
