German Court Ruling Benefits Europe-Skeptic Parties in EU Ballot

Parties skeptical toward the European Union may benefit from today’s German court ruling that a threshold of 3 percent for the European Parliament election is unconstitutional, lawmakers and pollsters said.

Among the 19 groups that brought the case before the Federal Constitutional Court are the anti-immigration National Democratic Party and the Free Voters, who want more decision-making powers at local level. The anti-euro Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, welcomed the court’s ruling.