Elections Could Be the Beginning of the End for Europe

Four hundred million citizens in 28 countries are invited to cast their ballots for a new European Parliament this week, starting with the British and Dutch on Thursday. And for the first time, a motley band of anti-establishment radicals looks poised to thrive as Europe’s third political force, making the next five years a wild, bruising ride for the parliament in Strasbourg and also for their home countries. In France and the Netherlands, founding European Union nations, a pair of anti-Europe firebrands—the emblematic blond menaces Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders—may even outdo mainstream parties to win the day.