Europeans voting in today’s EU elections are expected to lean even further to the right as Germany’s main party suffers losses and French hardliner Marine le Pen heads for a massive victory over Emmanuel Macron.
The elections, which have been held across the continent over the past three days, are the first since Brexit, the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In addition to this, many voters have been affected by the cost of living, are concerned about migration and the cost of the green transition, and are concerned about geopolitical tensions, including the war in Ukraine, and hardline, extreme parties. right have taken advantage of this situation. and offered the electorate an alternative.
France has so far fallen to the right, with Le Pen’s National Rally party, led by young upstart Jordan Bardella, set to achieve its highest result in a national election.
He is predicted to take home 31.5% of France’s votes, while Emmanuel Macron’s coalition party will record the second-lowest election result in EU history for a party in government in France.
Co-leaders of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, react to the results after the polls close
The main candidate of the Socialist Party for the EU Parliament, Marta Temido, speaks to journalists after casting her vote for the European elections at the Escola
A voter looks for his polling station during the elections to the European Parliament, in Moralzarzal, Spain.
Brigitte Macron and President Emmanuel Macron casting their vote for the European Parliament elections at a polling station in Le Touquet, northern France.
In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SDU) was projected to come in third place, winning just 14% of the vote, a record low for the party according to German broadcasters who commissioned exit polls.
Meanwhile, far-right and far-right parties in Germany are expected to take the lead.
The conservative alliance of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) obtained 29.5% of the votes.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in second, with 16.5% of the vote, a huge increase of 5.5% compared to the 2019 EU elections.
A similar result was seen in exit polls in Austria, with the far-right party FPOe leading the vote count.
If confirmed, it would be the first time the group has led a national vote in the Alpine country.
The Freedom Party (FPOe) obtained 27 percent of the votes, ahead of the conservative People’s Party (OeVP), according to polls published by the country’s main media outlets.
The EU Parliament, which will have 720 seats once the elections are completed, is made up of multi-party factions.
While center-left and center-right factions have largely dominated the bloc’s parliament since its last election in 2019, these parties are expected to lose seats as more and more Europeans turn to more extreme parties in the hope that can resolve their problems with the United States.
The vice president of the European Parliament and main candidate for the European elections, Katarina Barley (center), the co-president of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Lars Klingbeil (l), and the co-president of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Saskia Esken (right) arrive. . deliver a statement during the European elections
A woman dressed in a traditional costume receives her ballots at a polling station during the European Parliament and local elections in Vizslas, northern Hungary.
German flags on a table during the election evening of the far-right party Alternative Fur Deutschland (AfD)
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen speaks during an event at the European Parliament.
A projection on Sunday by pollster Europe Elects showed the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) could win just five seats compared to the last parliament which won a total of 183. The Socialists, among whom the party of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is included, they will lose. four seats to get 136.
By contrast, the poll said the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) would likely gain five more MPs for a total of 73 and the far-right group Identity and Democracy (ID) could gain eight more seats for a total of 73. 67 .
According to the survey, more deputies could join right-wing and extreme right groups among the deputies not affiliated until now, of which there would be 79.
Meanwhile, the European Greens, facing a backlash from hard-pressed households, farmers and industry over costly EU policies that limit CO2 emissions, appear to be among the big losers as Sunday’s poll It gave them only 56 deputies, a loss of 15.
The forecasts for the liberal Renew Europe group are also bleak, given the expectation that Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement National party will defeat French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party in France.
Sunday’s poll put the Renew group’s losses at 13 seats, predicting it will finish with 89.
The European Parliament will issue an EU-wide exit poll at around 7:30 pm BST and then a first provisional result after 10 pm, when the final votes have been cast, in Italy.
