Europe's destiny

Right's electoral gains point to deepening instability

Two days after India completed its mammoth seven-phase elections over two and a half months to elect 543 members of the Lok Sabha in 28 states and Union Territories, Europe went to the polls, completing in four days (June 6-9) elections to 720 seats among 27 member-countries. The two elections are not strictly comparable since the exercise in India was for a national Parliament whereas the European Union (EU) elections were for a supra-national Parliament that decides pan-European, not national, laws. But the results of the European Parliament elections are no less consequential. The EU is the world’s second-largest economy,