France’s President Emmanuel Macron has called a bombshell snap parliamentary election after being defeated by the far right in the European elections – in a night of drama that overall saw the centre-right tighten their grip on the EU Parliament.
Mr Macron made the announcement after losing to his rivals Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella and their National Rally party.
France’s result was one of the big gains that Europe’s far-right parties had expected, and confirmation came with all the exit polls giving National Rally more than 30% of the vote, double that of Mr Macron’s centrist Renaissance party.
But beyond France, the broader story of Europe’s four-day vote marathon really belonged to the parties of the centre-right.
They strengthened their majority in the European Parliament, with victories in Germany, Greece, Poland and Spain, and significant advances in Hungary, against long-dominant Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“The centre is holding, but it is also true that the extremes on the left and on the right have gained support,” said Ursula von der Leyen, the centre-right head of the European Commission, now on course for a second term.
Ms von der Leyen said her centre-right group was an “anchor of stability”, but such a result required “great responsibility for the parties in the centre”.
The far right did not enjoy as great a surge across Europe as many had predicted.
In the Netherlands, anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party came second; and in Belgium the separatist Vlaams Belang lost out to the nationalist New-Flemish Alliance.
Europeans in 27 countries voted in these elections to elect the next EU Parliament – with the majority of voting happening on Sunday. The European Parliament is the direct link between Europeans and the EU’s institutions.
There had been talk before the vote that Ms von der Leyen’s dominant European People’s Party might consider talking to the two right-wing groups that house the far right.
But she made clear the EPP’s only allies would be the Socialists & Democrats and the liberal Renew group that includes Mr Macron’s party.
While the centre-right has a commanding 184 seats in the 720-seat European Parliament, the S&D has not lost ground, and the centrists are still third, despite a big drop in seats.
