The recent European elections were filled with surprises, from the failure of the far-right to establish dominance in the European parliament, making the propagandised takeover of European politics a failure; to the collapse of French support for Emmanuel Macron, leading to the dissolution of the French parliament and new elections. It is now more important than ever for those who hold Liberty in their hearts to take an active role in European politics.
In the European Parliament, the groups associated with the far-right, the ECR and ID, initiated a struggle following the election. Curiously, Identity & Democracy collapsed in on itself due to disagreements between its members, giving rise to a new group Patriots for Europe. This group is made up mostly of the former members of ID, dissenters from the ECR and EPP, and Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party. After the constitutive session, PfE and ECR were only able to gather 84 and 78 MEPs respectively, out of 720 MEPs. This leaves the PfE and the ECR behind the EPP and S&P, as the 3rd and 4th biggest parties, with Renew Europe in 5th place by a margin of a single MEP.
The Portuguese case
The Portuguese case was special. It was an example of how a political party with pro-liberty ideals can rise significantly due to its supporters actively participating and voting. In the legislative elections held just a few months prior, Portugal saw the rise of the far-right Chega, reaching 18% of the total votes, becoming the 3rd largest party in the Portuguese Parliament. The two major parties, the socialist party and the democratic alliance (comprising the Social Democrats, Monarchists, and Conservatives) were separated by less than two thousand votes, allowing the democratic alliance to barely establish a minority government.
Meanwhile, Iniciativa Liberal, a party founded on the ideas of Liberalism in 2017, fell short of its ambition of obtaining 12 mandates, maintaining the previous 8 parliament members, despite the increasing number of votes. However, IL’s consistency in defending pro-liberty ideas and promoting rational solutions for Portugal’s issues would not prove fruitless.
In this European election, not only did Iniciativa Liberal become the only party that had a growing number of votes in comparison to the previous legislative elections, but it also claimed the title of the most-voted party by Portuguese migrants in many European countries, doing so in an election where the number of non-voters was 20% larger than the previous legislative elections.
Some of this success can be credited to the first candidate put forward by the party, João Contrim Figueiredo, whose career in Portuguese politics makes him one of the most famous and beloved figures within the pro-liberty movement in Portugal. By standing out as a rational, empathetic, and hard-working figure, he made it easier to rally votes for the election and introduce the message of Liberty to a wider audience. This scenario shows the importance that leaders of Liberty can have in creating a freer and more prosperous world and the importance of participating in political processes, even ones as simple as casting your vote.
To those sceptical about voting
Some would claim that voting is useless and that abstention is the correct path. They may bring up many reasons for these claims: the lack of proportional representation that exists in many countries, the lack of a political party that fully represents their ideals, the lack of information that most voters have, or even the threat of electoral fraud. Despite these arguments and sound criticism, they lack the proper objective justification for why we shouldn’t vote.
The democratic republic system allows all citizens to have a say in how their town, their country, or even their Union are run. It might be far from perfect, but it allows its citizens to have a voice in political affairs. While not all voices will be sound, by refusing to participate in this process, you are allowing others to choose for you. Even in countries where the electoral system is objectively corrupt and fraudulent, as in the case of Venezuela, voting still creates opportunities to break the net of censorship, allowing individuals bought domestically and abroad to see the tyranny that is enforced upon the country.
The road to Freer Future starts with you
So if you, dear reader, find yourself in a country where liberty may be lacking, don’t be afraid to take the initiative to bring its flame to your family, your friends and your community. The action of creating a freer Europe begins on the individual level, and despite the flaws that politics may have in your country they are always better if even a single voice takes the stage to explain the merits of individualism and free markets to the masses.
The road to a freer future starts with a foundation of good ideas and principles.
Don’t allow others to choose for you, step up and help the forces of Liberty gain a greater representation in your country.
Remember, don’t ask who is going to let you. Ask who is going to stop you.
