European Journal of Political Research Political Data Yearbook最新文献

At the June 2024 European election, the soft Eurosceptic party that comes closest to the definition of right-wing populist in Luxembourg, the Alternative Democratic Reform Party, won one of the six seats for the first time in its history and joined the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament. Despite suffering limited losses in its vote share, the Liberal party (Democratic Party/Demokratesch Partei) only came out third in the election, behind the Christian Socials (Christian-Social People's Party/Chrëschtlech-Sozial Vollekspartei) and the Socialists (Luxembourg Socialist People's Party/Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei), and lost its second seat in the European Parliament. The DP had received the largest electoral support in the 2019 European election and remained a coalition partner in government after the 2023 national election.

Government-opposition confrontation intensified in Finland in 2024, with major reforms to welfare, labour and immigration policy introduced and passed through to legislation. The first half was marked by presidential and European elections. The tight race between two internationally known candidates, Alexander Stubb from the National Coalition Party/Kokoomus (KOK) and the Green politician Pekka Haavisto, in this decreasingly semi-presidential political system, was won by the liberal European Trans-Atlanticist Iron Man Stubb. The European elections were also won by KOK to the European People's Party on the theme of national security, and surprise results also brought three seats to the Left Alliance/Vasemmistoliitto. While the Social Democratic Party/Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen puolue only secured two seats, they led the polls by the end of 2024. The austerity measures made the Orpo I (KOK) government unpopular but mainstreamed the main junior partner Finns Party/Perussuomalaiset’s anti-migrant, welfare-chauvinist agenda despite their declining support.

The stalemate over the Cyprus question persisted in 2024. Apart from a single informal dinner between the two Cypriot leaders and the UN Secretary-General in New York, there was no meaningful dialogue—let alone any formal negotiations—despite the efforts of UN Envoy María Holguín, whose tenure ended in the summer of 2024. On the domestic front, within the Greek-Cypriot-dominated Republic of Cyprus, the year was marked by the European Parliament election where a YouTuber—Fidias Panayiotou—became third behind the conservative Democratic Rally (25 per cent), which maintained its two Members of the European Parliament (MEPS), and the communist party the Progressive Party of Working People (22 per cent), which lost one of its two MEPs. In the northern part of the island, the de-facto state Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, 2024 witnessed a fake diploma and fraud scandal at a Turkish Cypriot university that reignited the debate on the problems in the Turkish Cypriot higher education sector. Internationally, Cyprus strengthened ties with the US via President Christodoulides’ White House visit.

In 2024, Belgium experienced its third consecutive ‘Mother of all elections’. Federal, regional and European elections were held on 9 June and local elections on 13 October. These elections profoundly transformed Belgium's political landscape: the right and center, with Reformist Movement/Mouvement réformateur (MR) and Les Engagés, took the lead in Wallonia, putting an end to Socialist domination. In Flanders, New Flemish Alliance/Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA) maintained its position as the leading party despite the rise of Vlaams Belang, while the ecologists suffered a net decline in all regions. In Brussels, the Socialist Party remained in the lead, but the MR made significant gains. This led to the creation of unedited coalitions: the ‘Arizona’ federal government (N-VA, MR, Vooruit, Christian Democratic and Flemish/Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams [CD&V], Les Engagés)—yet not already formed by the end of 2024, the ‘Azur’ coalition in Wallonia (MR–Les Engagés) and a tripartite in Flanders (N-VA, Vooruit, CD&V), reflecting a profound restructuring of federal and regional executive power.

The year was marked by the European Parliament elections in June, where turnout was at its lowest and New Democracy (Nea Dimokratia/ND) dominated, albeit with a reduced vote share, compared to the last elections. These elections were followed by important political developments. A Cabinet reshuffle was announced days later, and both the Panhellenic Socialist Movement-Movement for Change (Panellinio Sosialistiko Kinima-Kinima Allagis/PASOK-KINAL) and the Coalition of the Radical Left (Synaspismos tis Rizospastikis Aristeras/SYRIZA) held internal elections for leadership. The incumbent president of PASOK-KINAL was re-elected in October. The ousting of SYRIZA's president by the party's top organ in early November prompted the exit of five SYRIZA MPs and, consequently, resulted in PASOK-KINAL assuming the role of the main opposition party. SYRIZA elected a new party president in late November. Adding to this turn of events was the unprecedented expulsion of a former Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, from his own party, ND. Inflation remained a top concern for citizens. Greece became the first Orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex marriage. The investigation into the Tempi train crash continued to fuel protests and allegations of a government cover-up. Wildfires once again ravaged various parts of the country. The devastating consequences of domestic violence persisted, with 16 femicides recorded in total.

Following several years of opinion polling decline, Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) sought to draw a line under successive scandals with the election of a new leader, Shigeru Ishiba. However, the LDP-led coalition went on to lose its majority in the lower house for the first time since 2012 in the snap election that Ishiba immediately called, leaving him at the head of a minority government. The ruling party also faced internal divisions over his decision to exclude members implicated in scandals from candidate lists in the election. The Democratic Party for the People, formerly a rump party left over following mergers among mainstream opposition groupings, surged in this election, gaining significant attention for party leader Yuichiro Tamaki, while new far-right parties also made minor gains in the lower house for the first time.

The year 2024 was a relatively stable year in Norwegian politics. No elections were held. There was some reshuffling of Cabinet ministers but no major changes that had an impact on policy. However, it was a difficult year for the party of the Prime Minister (PM), the Labour Party. Public opinion polling indicated that the governing coalition of Labour and the Centre Party was quite unpopular. Two Cabinet ministers were involved in scandals that led to their ouster. An attempt within the Labour Party was also made to oust PM Støre as head of the party. The Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) passed a historic unanimous bill in 2024 to increase defence spending.

In 2024, Israel faced profound political and military upheaval. The Gaza war persisted throughout the year, expanding to direct confrontations with Hezbollah and Iran, while Houthi attacks intensified regional instability. Domestically, the government fractured: The New Hope faction split from Benny Gantz's National Unity alliance, and both parties exited the coalition at different times. Meanwhile, mass protests continued over the government's wartime conduct and hostage negotiations, and tensions surrounding military service exemptions deepened societal divisions. Despite partial economic recovery, GDP growth remained sluggish at 0.9 per cent, with inflation rising to 3.2 per cent and major credit agencies downgrading Israel's rating. Institutional developments included a landmark Supreme Court ruling asserting judicial review over Basic Laws, sparking ongoing battles over democratic governance. No parliamentary elections were held, but significant municipal elections took place. War, leadership crises, internal polarization, and widespread demands for accountability and reform defined Israeli politics in 2024.

The highlights of politics in Malta were the elections to the European Parliament and the outcome and aftermath of the long-gestating inquiry into the privatization of state hospitals. The two amalgamated to challenge the long-held ascendancy of the Labour Party, but broader conclusions may be premature, as voters’ behaviour in this typically second-order election need not reflect their real attachment to the parties they usually support.