IRIA News

The European Union parliamentary elections produced varied outcomes across the continent. A rise in support for far-right parties in France, Germany, and Austria was balanced by strong backing for centrist and left-wing groups in other countries.

Residents in 27 European Union countries went to the polls over the weekend to elect the bloc’s new parliament. The center-right European People’s Party (EPP), led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, maintained a stable position as the strongest group in the European Parliament.

“We will stop them, this is for sure,” von der Leyen declared referring to the far-right political factions after gaining an evident lead in the elections.

The EPP solidified its position as the largest bloc in the 720-seat European Parliament, gaining eight additional seats compared to the 2019 elections, bringing its total to 182. The far-right Identity and Democracy (ID), led by France’s Marine Le Pen, also saw significant gains, winning 58 seats, nine more than five years ago.

Additionally, nonaligned parties, which include groups from both the right and left not affiliated with recognized political groups, secured 99 seats, an increase of 37 seats from 2019. The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), dominated by Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, earned four more seats than in the previous election.

Meanwhile, the center-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) maintained its 139 seats, matching its 2019 results. However, S&D fell to second place in major strongholds like Spain where it had previously been the leading party.

On the other hand, the liberal Renew Europe (RE) suffered a significant loss, dropping 22 seats. The Greens party, which had made notable gains in the 2019 elections, also experienced a decline, losing 19 seats this time.

Far-right for more security

“The wars in Ukraine and in Gaza, along with an ongoing economic crisis across the bloc – all of that contributes to a much more anxious climate, which also makes voters look for more security,” said Vessela Tcherneva, the European Council on Foreign Relations’ deputy director. “And the far right is promising them more security.”

Another pressing issue resonating with the far-right and EU citizens is environmental reform amid the economic crisis and inflation. Despite the EU’s ambitious goal of leading the world in climate action, a priority costing trillions of euros, green parties suffered a significant setback in the recent EU Parliament elections, losing 20 seats.

This decline comes as EU taxpayers, grappling with a cost-of-living crisis, grow increasingly nervous and resistant to new environmental regulations. These rules often require expensive changes, such as purchasing new heating systems or less-polluting cars, adding financial strain on households.

Farmers across the EU have also voiced their discontent, staging mass protests against environmental rules they deem unfair and devastating to their livelihoods. The hard right capitalized on these grievances, positioning themselves as the champions of the common people against what they describe as “remote elites” in Brussels and national governments. By tapping into these widespread concerns, the hard right managed to bolster their support, presenting themselves as defenders of local interests and critics of the EU’s environmental policies.

Referendum on national leaders

Many observers and analysts perceive the EU elections as a referendum on national leadership in each country. The EU residents use their votes to display their approval of the national leadership and ruling parties.

In Germany, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) faced a severe setback, securing only about 14 percent of the vote and coming in third behind the conservative alliance of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), which garnered 30 percent. The big winner was the extreme-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which achieved its best results in history with 16 percent of the vote.

In France, the election results caused a political upheaval as Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) won 30 percent of the vote, doubling the support for President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance (RE) party. This led Macron to dissolve parliament and call for snap elections, giving him three weeks to rally French voters behind his party. Meanwhile, Hungary’s nationalist leader Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party had its worst-ever performance in a European Parliament election, despite securing nearly 44 percent of the vote.

Oggi è possibile recarsi al seggio fino alle 23. E domani dalle 7 alle 23. Il futuro dell'Italia e dell'Europa lo decidete voi. Ora è tutto nelle vostre mani. Buon voto! 🗳️ pic.twitter.com/6EBpQizQLy

— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) June 8, 2024

In contrast, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni emerged as a clear winner, with her Brothers of Italy party receiving nearly 30 percent of the vote, setting a favorable stage for her as she prepares to host the Group of Seven (G7) leaders’ summit in Fasano later this week.