The European Parliament announced that it cannot review the results of a secret vote that has deprived the far right of key positions. These statements were made in a court in Luxembourg where Parliament lawyers emphasized that the voting results are final and conclusive.
The Role of Parliament Lawyers in Court
Parliament lawyer, Niklas Görlitz, stated in court: "The voting results are conclusive, and there is no mechanism in our laws for repeating the vote." These remarks were made in response to a lawsuit by the group Patriots for Europe, which is challenging a barrier that centrist European forces have created to prevent the far right from influencing decision-making.
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Legal Challenges of the Patriots for Europe Group
The Patriots for Europe group is particularly challenging the elections in which chairs and vice-chairs of parliamentary committees were elected after the 2024 European Union elections. These positions were filled through secret votes. The group also objects to the composition of international representatives in Parliament, claiming that its representatives have been kept away from key roles.
The lawyers of this group, which includes the National Rally of France, Vox of Spain, and Fidesz of Hungary, argue that the lack of access for their representatives to high committee positions is a "definitive expulsion" and this issue is unacceptable for the group, the third largest party in Parliament.
The Patriots group has 85 representatives in its 720-member assembly in the European Parliament. Key parliamentary positions will again be available in January 2027, giving this group another opportunity to attain positions of power.
Criticism of the Main Parties' Behavior
Kinga Gál, a representative from Hungary and the first vice-chair of the Patriots group, previously described the actions of the main parties as "shameful" and "against the rule of law." The Patriots group's lawyer, Azelio Fulmini, referred to the European Union's description of representation and stated that the proportional distribution of leadership positions in Parliament prevents one or two large political groups from dominating political life.
This statement comes as Görlitz emphasized that all groups can nominate candidates for key positions and added that the lack of votes is not a reason for the court to intervene in parliamentary matters.
Court's Conclusion
The lawyer for the Patriots group accused Parliament of exceeding its mandate in managing the impartiality of committee elections and stated that officials were pursuing a political agreement aimed at keeping this group from leadership positions. The former court judge, Savvas Papasavvas, did not announce the date of the court's decision.
