UKIP confirms its spectacular electoral breakthrough in UK

The UK Independence Party (UKIP) has been the populist big winner of the English local elections. Although it has not gained control of any municipality, the results tallied over night in 58 of the 161 municipal councils of England voted on Thursday suggest that Nigel Farage’s party has probably been the largest party in elections.

The rise of UKIP has damaged three major political parties in the country and this morning the feeling that British politics, as traditionally attached to bipartisanship Conservatives and Labour have long since broken by the Liberal Democrats had, has become now on a four-party system, as proclaimed from the Labour election coordinator Douglas Alexander, to the chairman of UKIP, Steve Crowther.

Labour did not make any progress desperately needed to confirm their aspirations to return to power in the legislative elections next year, which will probably open serious questions about its disputed leader, Ed Miliband. David Cameron’s conservatives have suffered heavy setbacks and have lost control of a third of the municipalities that won in 2010, an election year reference in a political system in which each year a portion of the municipal councils are renewed.

The Liberal Democrats have also lost many voters, who have apparently chosen this time to vote UKIP as a banner of protest, which tends to confirm the fear of losing almost every match, if not all.

If the triumph of UKIP in European Union confirmed, British politics will enter a period of great instability in the year leading up to the general elections. Last night Labour has began internal reviews, the debate over the leadership of the Liberal Democrats and, especially, the debate over whether the Conservatives have to go to the polls in 2015 facing the UKIP or allied with it.

Nigel Farage has none of that worries and he predicted that the party is now “a serious contender” in general elections. The electoral system has so far prevented him getting MPs at Westminster. But his breakthrough Thursday in British politics suggests that it is able to get the specific gravity in terms of votes necessary to start earning seats in a system that requires the most voted candidate in a constituency to win the seat.

Counted 58 of 161 municipal councils in England where elections were held, Labour had won 28, Conservatives 16, the Liberal Democrats 2 and 16 are without any party with majority control. In terms of councilors, Labour have won 623 (+102), the Conservatives 550 (-95), the Liberals 182 (-98) and UKIP 87 (+86).

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Posted by Khalil Khan on May 24 2014. Filed under Europe. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.