A four-day election has shaken the foundations of the European Union, with the far right rocking ruling parties in France and Germany, the bloc’s traditional driving forces. For the next five years it will be harder for the European Parliament to make decisions.
French President Emmanuel Macron called snap national elections after Marine Le Pen’s National Rally humbled his pro-European centrists in the polls. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats also suffered as the extreme-right Alternative for Germany shrugged off scandals to make massive gains.
In Italy, the party of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which has neo-fascist roots, won more than 28% of the national vote for the EU assembly, which would make it a key player in forming future alliances.
Green and pro-business liberal groups across Europe suffered heavy defeats, but mainstream formations held their ground, with the center-right European People’s Party remaining the biggest bloc in the 27-nation EU’s assembly.
European Elections: Results Country-by-Country
EU voters chose a new European Parliament. Support for nationalist, anti-immigrant politicians rose across the continent, but each of the 27 countries has its own domestic issues.
POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE IN FRANCE
Voters in France will return to the polls in just three weeks after Macron dissolved parliament and called snap national elections. Le Pen’s anti-immigration, nationalist party was estimated to get around 31%-32% of the vote. While a National Rally win was expected, the scale of the victory was a surprise, more than doubling the share of Macron’s Renaissance party, which was projected to reach around 15%. It should become clear by mid-July whether a weakened Macron will be forced to work with a far-right government in an uncomfortable “cohabitation.”
SCANDALS DO LITTLE TO HARM GERMANY’S HARD RIGHT
Scholz’s ruling Social Democrats recorded their worst post-World War II result in a nationwide vote, with 13.9%. Alternative for Germany finished second with around 15.9%. The far-right party suffered a string of recent setbacks, including scandals surrounding its two lead candidates in the EU parliament elections. But voters appear to have shrugged them off. The result is better than the AfD’s 11% in 2019 but still short of poll ratings earlier this year. Germany’s opposition center-right Union bloc took 30% of the vote.
THE PRO-EUROPEAN CENTER HOLDS
The center-right European People’s Party is projected to win 191 seats in the EU assembly and remains by far the biggest group. The EPP garnered a few more seats, but the parliament is also expanding from 705 seats in 2019 to 720 seats this year, so the increase was marginal. The second-biggest bloc, the center-left Socialists and Democrats, lost some ground but with 135 seats comfortably retains its place. EPP lead candidate Ursula von der Leyen had flirted with parties to the right during election campaigning, but after early results were announced she called on the socialists and pro-business liberals to work together in a pro-European alliance.