Election fever

In a period of multiple elections on both sides of the mediterranean, we must seek common solutions to avoid nations turning in on themselves, an attitude that attracts voters both north and south.

 

The month of May has seen a host of elections both North and South of the Mediterranean in Algeria, Egypt, Syria, Greece and France. How will they effect relations between the two sides? It’s too early to tell. The ballot box has revealed a desire for change, and also doubts, even though it is impossible to make direct parallels between the different elections.

In Syria, President Bachar al-Assad organized a new Parliament despite losing control over whole zones of the country, and the nation’s security forces continue to violently repress the uprisings, despite the regime’s commitment to Kofi Annan’s suggested peace plan. The opposition talks of masquerade, while the authorities claim dubious satisfaction. The Algerians have gone to the ballot box with no illusions, unable to feel enthusiastic about the choice of parties in a country faced with considerable challenges. The line-up shows a strong female quota (143 women for 462 seats) but with no changes to the established system, which has had the benefit of the country’s oil reserves. But until when? The Egyptians, who are for the most part hoping to be able to get back to normal, will freely elect their president for the first time; yet since there is still no Constitution, they cannot know what actual powers he will have.

The crisis in the North has provoked power swings. The greatest incertitude concerns the future of Greece: what majority will succeed in governing when votes reject the austerity measures imposed by the EU and the IMF? Without a government coalition, the country will go back to the ballot box – with what outcome?

The Neo-Nazi party risks improving its already worrying score given the sombre prospects in countries where people “earn half as many wages and pay twice as much tax”.

What can European institutions do in this context? What is the future for Euro-Mediterranean relations? More than ever, both sides must be ready to seek common solutions to avoid nations turning in on themselves and their identity, an attitude that increasingly attracts voters both North and South.