The extreme right advances in the elections for the European Parliament

2024-06-10 09:34:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Preliminary results show centrist, liberal and socialist parties will retain a majority in the European Parliament, but the far-right's victory dealt internal blows to the leaders of several countries, including France and Germany.

The elections for the European Parliament were held from June 6 to 9 in all 27 countries of the European Union.

French President Emmanuel Macron called snap national elections after his party was soundly defeated by its far-right rival.

Macron dissolved Parliament and announced the date of the polls on June 30.

"I have decided to enable you to choose our parliamentary future with your vote", he said.

The National Front party - led by Macron's rivals Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella - scored one of the biggest successes among far-right parties in Europe.

Preliminary results showed it secured over 30 percent more votes than Macron's centrist Renaissance.

The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, experienced similar blows to Macron.

His Social Democrats scored their worst ever result, coming third behind the opposition Christian Democrats and the far-right Alternative for Germany (Afd) party.

The AfD has faced a series of recent scandals - including espionage and foreign interference - but support for it has remained stable.

"After the barrage of the last few weeks, we are the second biggest force. And I'm telling you: the only way is up," said party co-leader Alice Weidel.

The right also scored victories in Spain, as well as significant progress in Hungary.

In the Netherlands, the far-right Freedom Party came second, while in Austria, the party of the same name emerged as the winner.

In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will continue to lead the country's politics after her far-right party, the Brothers of Italy, defeated the center-left Democratic Party.

"Thank you to the Italians who continue to elect us... I am proud of the result," Meloni told her supporters.

The far right, however, did not perform well in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Finland and Poland.

"The center is holding, but it is also true that the extremes on the left and the right have gained support," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"And that is why the result comes with great responsibility for the center parties," said von der Leyen, who is also seeking re-election.

The majority in the European Parliament, which has 720 seats, is expected to be formed again by the center-right European People's Party, which, according to preliminary results, won 184 seats.

But the right-wing result in the European Parliament could make it more difficult to pass new legislation, which may be needed to respond to security challenges, the impact of climate change or industrial competition from China and the United States. / REL