Elections to the European Parliament, which will take place between today and next Sunday, are fueled by parties and outlandish proposals. The phenomenon is driven by the form of rallies, which allows a constituency in many countries, lacks electoral barriers and low participation, creating fertile ground for the emergence of unconventional parties.
In Spain, the creation of “Se Acabó la Fiesta” led by researcher and political consultant Alvaiz Pérez, exemplifies El Confidencial. However, outside the borders of the Iberian Peninsula, there are many unusual projects trying to gain a place in the European Parliament.
In Poland, Janusz Korwin-Mikke, leader of the far-right KORWiN party, is again running in the European elections with an openly sexist agenda. His proposals include legalizing domestic violence and reducing wages for women, whom he deems less intelligent and therefore unfit to vote – suggesting that women be banned from voting until menopause. Korwin-Mikke prefers to assign the worst jobs to men of small stature and sympathizes with Russia’s expansionist policy, denying the existence of the Holocaust.
In Germany, the Party for Traditional Medicine Research for Rejuvenation is proposing a treatment for the elderly. Founded in 2015, this monothematic party aims to accelerate the development of drugs for age-related diseases. In the Berlin state election in 2016, he received 0.5% of the vote, and in 2019, he received more than 70,000 votes in the European elections, although he did not win any seats.
Another German example is Die Partei, a satirical party founded by the editors of a satirical magazine. Led by Martin Sonneborn, the party defends plans to rebuild the Berlin Wall and cap the prices of beer and kebabs. Among other outlandish ideas, it proposes testing products on high-performance athletes instead of animals, and linking managers’ salaries to their employees’ bra sizes.
In Sweden, the Ond Kyckling Partiet, or Bad Chicken Party, was established as a joke to make it easier to register as a candidate. Its creator, Svante Strokirk, hopes to get more than 100 votes in the European elections, a significant increase compared to the 39 votes he received in the last Swedish national elections.
In Hungary, the Two-Tailed Dog Party began as a satire, but now, according to its leader Marietta Lu, it is a serious formation that aims to draw attention to problems in public life. The party has proposed programs like eternal life, world peace, one day work week and free beer.
In the Czech Republic, the Nechceme Vase Hlasy (We Don’t Want Your Votes) party does not want to be elected, but instead wants to reject any political position and open a public debate on independence.
For its part, the Europa Democracy Esperanto party wants to make Esperanto an official language of the European Union. It argues that the predominant use of English in EU institutions isolates the European public from its leaders. In 2019, it received more than 18,000 votes in France, but did not win any seats.
Other cases
The Free France party, led by singer Francis Lalon, defends France’s exit from the European Union. Lalanne is known for his controversial stances against vaccines and science.
In Finland, Jana Kavanius, leader of the Finns for Truth party, dressed up as Princess Leia from the Star Wars saga and denounced state corruption and EU illegalities. Currently, he is wanted by justice for 34 crimes of defamation, insult and harassment, but continues to lead the ultra-nationalist party.
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