Far-right gains, centre-right holds ground in EU elections

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) – As preliminary results from the European Parliament (EP) elections began to come in, they clearly showed a shift to the right, with the far-right Alternative for Germany party currently in second place among the 720 lawmakers elected by voters in the 27 EU countries on Monday.

With the final results of the EP elections yet to be announced, most European countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Greece, and the Greek Cypriot administration, have released their results.

According to preliminary results on the EP's website, the European People's Party, representing Germany's "Christian Democrats," won 184 seats.

So far, the Green Party/European Free Alliance has secured 52 seats, the Socialists and Democrats 139, the European Renewal Party 80, and the Left 36. In addition, 53 deputies were not affiliated with any European Parliament groups.

In the EP elections in Germany, the Christian Democratic Union coalition secured first place with 30 deputies, while the Alternative for Germany party came in second with 15 seats.

The Social Democratic Party, the primary governing coalition member, dropped to third place, earning 14 seats. The other coalition partner, the Green Party, secured 16 seats.

In the Netherlands, the Renew Europe Party and the far-right Identity and Democracy Party each secured seven seats, while the European People's Party won five seats. The coalition of the Greens, Socialists and Democrats gained nine seats.

In Austria, the far-right Austrian Freedom Party claimed first place with six seats. The European People's Party and the Socialists and Democrats coalition followed closely behind with five seats each. The Green Party and the Reconstruction Party both won two seats.

In Greece, the European People's Party won seven seats and the Left gained four. The "Socialists and Democrats" coalition won three seats, while the European conservatives and reformists each won two, with independents taking two seats.

In the Southern Cyprus administration, the European People's Party secured two seats, while the Left and the Socialists and Democrats each won two seats, and independents also took two.

In France, the far-right "Identity and Democracy" coalition won 30 seats, followed by the European Renewal Party with 13 seats and the "Socialists and Democrats" coalition with 13 seats. The Left Party claimed nine seats, the European People's Party six seats, and the Green Party five.

Late Sunday, President Macron dissolved parliament and announced the first snap election since 1997, with two rounds set for June 30 and July 7.

Italian leader Giorgia Meloni has received an estimated 28% of the vote, consolidating her position.

Examining the distribution of parties in the EP elections in France, the far-right National Front (RN) party emerged as the frontrunner with 31.5% of the votes in stark contrast to President Emmanuel Macron's party. The Ennahdha Party, led by Macron, came in second with 14.5% of the vote, followed by the Socialist Party in third place with 14%. The radical left-wing La France Insoumise party claimed fourth place with 10.1%, and the "Republicans" party secured fifth place with 7.2%.

Each country elects its members in proportion to its population, with the top five countries having the largest number of representatives in the European Parliament: Germany (96), France (81), Italy (76), Spain (61), and Poland (53).

The official results are set to be announced later on Monday, with the first General Assembly scheduled for July 16 to commence the new legislative period.