Far-right parties made significant gains in parliamentary seats, shocking the traditional powers of the European Union and handing French President Emmanuel Macron a humiliating defeat in particular. Emmanuel Macronhe called for early legislative elections.
Some votes were still being counted for Monday's European Parliament election, but the results showed a clear rightward shift in the 27-nation European Union's parliament. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's party more than doubled its seats. Germany The far-right party still won enough seats to overtake the Social Democrats, led by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Sensing a threat from the far right, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s Christian Democrats have moved further to the right on immigration and climate ahead of the election — and have been rewarded by remaining the largest group in the 720-seat European Parliament and the de facto brokers of the legislature’s expanding powers.
But the rise of nationalist and populist parties across Europe will make it more difficult for parliaments to approve laws on issues ranging from climate change to agricultural policy over the next five years.
Yet the undoubted star of a stunning election night was Marine Le Pen's National Rally party, which dominated the French election to such an extent that Macron immediately dissolved the country's parliament and called new elections for later this month. That's a huge political risk, as his party could suffer more losses, hampering his remaining presidential term, which ends in 2027.
Le Pen welcomed the challenge. “We are ready to turn the country around, ready to defend French interests, ready to put an end to mass immigration,” she said, echoing the slogans of many other far-right leaders celebrating major victories.
Her National Rally won more than 30% of the vote, about double that of Macron's pro-European centrist Ennahda party, which is expected to take less than 15%.
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Macron acknowledged the pain of defeat. “I heard your calls and concerns and I will not ignore them,” he said, adding that calling an early election would only underscore his democratic credentials.
In Germany, the EU’s most populous country, projections show voters undeterred by scandals surrounding the AfD party, which saw support rise to 16.5% from 11% in 2019. By comparison, the three parties in Germany’s ruling coalition combined have just over 30%.
The AfD jumped into second place, humiliating Schulz's Social Democrats. “After all the doomsaying and the fierce attacks of the past few weeks, we are now the second-largest force,” said Alice Weidel, leader of the AfD.
Overall, the two main pro-European parties in the European Union, the Christian Democrats and the Socialists, still dominated the elections that ended on Sunday. The far-right camp's victory came at the expense of the Green Party, which is expected to lose about 20 seats and fall to sixth place in parliament. Macron's pro-business Ennahda party also suffered heavy losses.
Von der Leyen, who had considered working with more right-wing political groups during her campaign, proposed late Sunday a coalition government with the Social Democrats, who largely maintained their positions in the election, and the pro-business Liberal Party.
“We are by far the strongest party, we are a pillar of stability,” von der Leyen said. Pointing to the rise of the far right and the good performance of the far left, she added that the result “brings great stability to the centrist parties. We are all interested in stability, we all want a strong and effective Europe.”
In the legislature, preliminary results showed the Christian Democrats taking 189 seats, up 13, the Social Democrats taking 135 seats, down 4, and the pro-business Ennahda party taking 83 seats, down 19. The Greens fell sharply to 53 seats, down 18.
The Greens’ loss in Germany, a traditional bastion of environmentalists, is a further blow, with support expected to fall from 20% to 12%. With support expected to fall further in France and elsewhere, the Greens’ defeat is likely to have an impact on the EU’s climate change policies, which remain among the most progressive in the world.
Senior members of the European Parliament are due to hold talks on Monday to discuss a possible coalition. Key to the future of the parliament will be whether the far right can unite into a coalition strong enough to challenge the main pro-EU groupings.
The election comes at a test of confidence among some 450 million voters in a five-year bloc rocked by the coronavirus pandemic, recession and an energy crisis sparked by Russia’s war in Ukraine. But campaigns have often focused on problems in individual countries rather than broader European interests.
Since the last EU elections in 2019, populist or far-right parties currently lead governments in three countries (Hungary, Slovakia and Italy) and are part of governing coalitions in others, including Sweden, Finland and soon the Netherlands.
Associated Press writers Sylvain Plazy in Brussels and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
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