Keir Starmer, whose popularity has plunged into polls, failed to revive the economy and could pay it in the ballot boxes.AFP
The polling stations opened in the United Kingdom on Thursday for local elections, which will act as a test for the two main Labor and Conservative parties, and are likely to confirm the rise of the extreme right and the fragmentation of the political landscape. This is the first ballot in England since the coming to power of Labor, Labor Party (Center-Gauche) of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in July.
It is also a test for the leader of the Kemi Badenoch Tories, which took the reins at the end of last year of a conservative training in pain after its debacle of the legislative elections. The polling stations opened at 8 am (time in Switzerland) and will close at midnight, with expected results from Friday morning.
Percée of the anti-immigration party?
The anti-immigration party Reform UK, led by the Brexit champion Nigel Farage, should gain ground according to the polls, as well as the liberal democrats (centrists) and the Greens. This could confirm a tendency to scatter votes, already visible during the legislative elections.
“British politics seems to be framing,” wrote political scientist John Curtice in the Telegraph this week. According to him, the elections on Thursday “will probably be the first in which up to five parties will play an important role”.
According to surveys, the British demonstrate disillusionment with regard to the two major parties, expressing concerns linked to anemic economic growth, illegal immigration figures and public services in difficulty.
Under the electoral system in a turn that promotes major parties, Labor won an overwhelming parliamentary majority in July, with only 33.7% of the vote. This represents the weakest proportion for a winning party of a general election since the Second World War.
“The fragmentation is already integrated”
The conservatives, they obtained 24% of the votes and 121 seats in Parliament-which has 650–, during its worst electoral defeat of all time. Reform UK, the Nigel Farage party, has garnered five seats, an unprecedented result for an far-right party in the United Kingdom. The liberal democrats gained 61 more deputies than in the previous election, and the Greens went from one to four elected officials.
These results mean that “fragmentation is already integrated”, according to Rob Ford, professor of political science at the University of Manchester, interviewed by AFP. He expects to see during these elections “losses on the side of conservatives and Labor, but not equally”, the Tories defending two thirds of the seats of local advisers at stake.
A total of 1641 seats within local authorities are to be filled-in a small part of the 17,000 seats of local advisers throughout England-, as well as six seats of mayors and a deputy seat in the Runcorn and Helsby region (northwest).
Reform UK, which campaigns on the fight against irregular immigration, is the favorite of bookmakers to win this partial legislative. The Labor Party is experiencing a difficult return to power, after 14 years in opposition.
Resignation after a fight
Keir Starmer, whose popularity has plunged into polls, failed to relaunch the economy and his government was strongly criticized for having suppressed certain social assistance. The partial legislative of Runcorn was launched by the resignation of Labor deputy Mike Amesbury, sentenced to a suspended prison sentence for hitting a man during a night altercation.
If the plowing had won the constituency with 53% of the votes in July, far ahead of Reform at 18%, Keir Starmer admitted that it would now be “difficult” for its party to win. With 26%of voting intentions at the national level, Reform exceeds plowing (23%) and Tories (20%), according to a Yougov survey published on Tuesday. A victory Thursday would help the party of Nigel Farage to anchor even more for the next legislative elections, which should take place in 2029.
