European elections: The crisis of the system is visible!
Statement by the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations (ICMLPO) | July 18, 2024--
The European election results have mercilessly exposed the crisis of the bourgeois-capitalist system and its internal contradictions. In many countries, the number of non-voters and abstentions was very high, sometimes higher than the votes for the strongest party. In France, Italy and Denmark the turnout fell to just over half of eligible voters; in Germany, one third did not take part in the elections. That in itself speaks about the lacking of the workers and people’s support and trust in the EU monopolies and their governments and institutions. The imperialist EU project of more reactionary offensive, militarization and war is creating frustration, insecurity and protest among the people. It has very much been a protest election against the arrogant anti-working class neoliberal policies, scandals and the attacks on the working class, little farmers, public employees, women’s rights and youth that the different governments in Europe are leading.
Dangerous trend to the right
However, the growing dissatisfaction has in many countries not led to workers and sections of the population voting in favor of social-democracy. In many countries the right populist parties as well as open or only pour camouflaged fascist parties have increased their number of cast votes. The ultra-reactionary and semi-fascist parties are skillful at exploiting the masses’ frustration with a crisis-ridden capitalist system. This is the specialty of fascism. Voters have primarily protested against the prevailing system and governments, not in favor of a racist and fascist agenda. The old bourgeois and reformist parties moved to extreme right-wing positions. The key issues of right-wing populist parties, such as phobia of refugees, nationalism and fascistization of society, have become part of the political establishment and the general policy of most parliamentary parties. They have become normalized in the parliamentary game, where there is a high degree of consensus and a strong bourgeois class alliance.
In the northern EU countries it was the left-populist parties who captured the votes of dissatisfaction with the neoliberal warmongering policy of the governments and the EU. But neither the right wing nor the left wing parties will bring real change in favor of the working class and the people as it only changes the balance of power between the bourgeois parties.
The right is the alternative for the ruling class
It is more than self-evident that in the bourgeois capitalist-imperialist system in deep crisis there is no basis for social reformism. It is struggling with its crises and no longer has any progress to offer the working class and the vast majority of the population.
It reacts to its crises by cutting jobs, lowering real wages, reducing social benefits and, increasingly, by arming and going to war. All of this is at the expense of the working class and the overwhelming majority of the people. “Progress” now only exists in phrases. It is quite clear that capital, with its crises and wars, with its agents among the working class, not only does not want the working class to defend resolutely its own interest or even to adopt a revolutionary policy, but is trying to prevent it by all means. This is where populist and fascist pseudo-alternatives come in handy. Hence the media frenzy surrounding the asylum issue and the propagation of right-wing positions. Hence the constant divisive discussions about the “lazy” recipients of social aid or the “lazy” youth or the expensive pensions or the “outrageous” wage demands of workers and so on and so forth. Divide and rule! The populist and fascist parties help with their agitation against refugees. And both represent the “unity” of the workers with their own capital – against the others. Such positions do not hurt the ruling capital, they benefit it.
The head of Deutsche Börse, Theodor Weimer, laid bare the real balance of power in this society. He quoted US investors: “We don’t care which old man is president. We as entrepreneurs run the country.” Regardless of whether Biden or Trump governs, in fact capital rules. It’s the same in Europe. Whether the “Progressive” or the Conservatives, the Liberal are in government with or without the support of populist and fascist parties, capital can live with both and assert its interests.
But in many countries the bourgeoisie is using the fear of the working class and progressive forces of a shift to the right to bring them behind bourgeois positions. In France, President Macron has dissolved parliament and called new elections. In doing so, he also wants to exploit the fear of M. Le Pen and the RN, at the same time negate his own responsibility and continue to impose a neoliberal reactionary policy, inspired in many aspects by right extreme positions, against workers’ and peoples movement.
What are the consequences?
Elections do not change the capitalist imperialist system. In the end the capital almost always wins its own elections, underlining EU as a project of the capital. But elections are an important indicator of the political mood. The elections for the EU parliament showed the great discontent with the neoliberal policy and the imperialist war. But on the other side in some countries it led to a strengthening of the right wing forces due to the weakness of the progressive forces and of the communist movement.
Our answer is to bring the real interests of the workers and the people into focus:
Loss of real wages, massive social cuts, inflation, job destruction, educational misery, catastrophe in the healthcare system, massive lack of affordable housing, disastrous local and long-distance public transport. The inflexible struggle to defend economic and politic interests of the working class must be at the center of our work – as concretely as possible and together with our colleagues. In this work, it is becoming clear to more and more people that the capitalist-imperialist system is no longer capable of progress, that it offers no prospects – except crisis, poverty and war. This also makes it clear that we have to fight for every millimeter of positive change for the working class, that we must reinforce our Marxist-Leninist parties and organizations, in order to advance in the fight to abolish this system and replace it with a socialist society.
Signed by: