The European Parliament elections have resulted in a significant shift towards populist and far-right parties.

The center and center-left parties are increasingly out of touch; if they continue as they are, they will lose it.

The European Parliament elections of 2024 have resulted in a significant shift towards populist and far-right parties. The European People’s Party (EPP) maintained its leading position, securing 189 seats, an increase of 13 from the previous parliament. The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) secured 135 seats, a decrease of 4. The Renew Europe group lost 19 seats, while the Greens/European Free Alliance lost 18 seats. The Identity and Democracy (ID) group, a far-right alliance, experienced a substantial increase in votes, securing 58 seats, an increase of 9. The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) saw a slight uptick in support, securing 72 seats, an increase of 3. The Left group lost 2 seats, and the Non-attached members (NI) lost 17 seats.

The results indicate a significant shift to the right, with hard-right groups gaining seats and the centre-right EPP also poised for growth. The liberal Renew Europe and the Greens/European Free Alliance experienced notable losses. The election saw a record-breaking support for populist and far-right parties, with Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (RN) trouncing the Renaissance party of French President Emmanuel Macron, leading Macron to call for a snap parliamentary election. The German Social Democrats faced their worst-ever result, falling to third place behind the far-right Alternative for Germany. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing Brothers of Italy emerged as the top performer in the Italian elections, and Austria, the Netherlands, and Poland also displayed strong support for right-wing and far-right parties[1][2][3][4].

Citations:
[1] https://www.economist.com/interactive/eu-elections-2024-polls-parliament
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2024/jun/09/european-elections-results-2024-europe-eu-parliament
[3] https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/09/eu-elections-2024-european-parliament-results-.html
[4] https://www.reuters.com/graphics/EU-ELECTION/RESULTS/klvynzzawpg/
[5] https://apnews.com/article/eu-election-right-migration-climate-polls-vote-0fbfcb7bd987008e802d70f759fa870b
[6] https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/09/europe/analysis-european-parliament-far-right-intl-latam/index.html
[7] https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/06/10/centre-holds-in-european-parliament-elections-but-will-it-be-enough-analysis
[8] https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-election-results-2024-things-to-know/

Hard-right populists are pushing their way into the mainstream

Europe’s centre left struggles to hold back surge from right