Far-right parties made significant gains in Sunday’s European Union parliamentary elections, delivering major defeats to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. This development casts uncertainty on the bloc’s future political direction.
Marine Le Pen’s National Rally dominated the polls in France, prompting Macron to dissolve the national Parliament and call for new elections. This risky move could further weaken his party, affecting his presidency until 2027. “I’ve heard your message, your concerns, and I won’t leave them unanswered,” Macron said, emphasizing that calling a snap election demonstrates his commitment to democratic principles.
In Germany, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) overcame scandals to rise to 16.5%, up from 11% in 2019. Chancellor Scholz’s Social Democrats fell behind the AfD, which surged into second place. “After all the prophecies of doom, after the barrage of the last few weeks, we are the second strongest force,” said a jubilant AfD leader, Alice Weidel.
The four-day election across the 27 EU countries, the world’s second-largest democratic exercise after India, saw a more pronounced shift to the far right than analysts predicted. The National Rally in France stood at over 30%, roughly twice as much as Macron’s pro-European centrist Renew party, projected to reach around 15%.
Despite these gains, mainstream pro-European groups, the Christian Democrats and Socialists, remained the dominant forces. However, the far-right’s success came at the expense of the Greens, who are expected to lose about 20 seats and fall to sixth position. Macron’s pro-business Renew group also saw significant losses.
Historically, the EU has marginalized the hard right, rooted in the defeat of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy. The far-right’s current strong showing could make them influential in shaping migration, security, and climate policies. However, in Poland, former EU leader and current Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist party overcame the national conservative Law and Justice party, winning 38% compared to 34%. “We showed that we are a light of hope for Europe,” Tusk told supporters.
Germany, a traditional environmentalist stronghold, saw the Greens predicted to drop from 20% to 12%. Similar losses in France and other countries could impact the EU’s progressive climate policies. The center-right Christian Democratic bloc of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen dominated Germany with almost 30%, easily surpassing Scholz’s Social Democrats, who fell to 14%, even behind the AfD. “What you have already set as a trend is all the better – strongest force, stable, in difficult times and by a distance,” von der Leyen told her supporters via video link from Brussels.
Premier Giorgia Meloni’s hard-right party focused on migration and crime in Italy and was expected to consolidate power with significant gains. Voting continued in Italy late into the evening, but initial data confirmed earlier predictions of a rightward shift in the bloc. This could complicate legislation and decision-making in the world’s largest trading bloc.
EU lawmakers, serving five-year terms in the 720-seat Parliament, influence financial rules, climate, and agricultural policy. They approve the EU budget and funding priorities like infrastructure, farm subsidies, and aid to Ukraine, and they have veto power over EU commission appointments.
These elections come at a challenging time for voter confidence in the 450-million-strong EU, which has faced the coronavirus pandemic, economic slumps, and an energy crisis due to Europe’s most significant land conflict since World War II. Political campaigns often focus on national issues rather than broader European interests.
Since the last EU election in 2019, populist or far-right parties have led governments in Hungary, Slovakia, and Italy and are part of ruling coalitions in Sweden, Finland, and soon, the Netherlands. Polls show populist advantages in France, Belgium, Austria, and Italy. “Right is good,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, leading a nationalist and anti-migrant government, told reporters after voting. “To go right is always good. Go right!”
