After a weekend of voting, the outcomes of the European elections within the European Union have begun surfacing. The consequences of these results have made their presence felt immediately in certain nations, while in others, their full impact might not be apparent right away. So which candidates emerged victorious and who didn’t?
Victor: Marine Le Pen
Marine Le Pen, leading the far-right National Rally (RN) party, undeniably emerged as a prominent victor in the election run. The party, harnessing votes north of 30 per cent, secured a whooping 30 seats, brandishing RN as a formidable force in the impending parliament. Their triumphant stand triumphed over the centrist alliance led by the French president Emmanuel Macron, which remained low on the scale throughout the campaign, bagging just half as many seats.
In retaliation, Macron shocked the nation by dissolving the parliament and announcing an untimely election. This daring political gamble by Macron, aimed either at curbing the propulsion of Le Pen’s party, could potentially backfire, leading to RN gaining more influence in the French parliament. Regardless, the European election outcome is a massive victory for Le Pen, who has been striving to make her party more palatable to voters in anticipation of another shot at the French presidency in 2027.
Victor: Manfred Weber
Manfred Weber, president of the European People’s Party (EPP), celebrated the election outcomes, leading his centre-right contingent to a series of wins that only fortified its position as the largest entity in the forthcoming European Parliament. Celebrating their victory, Weber announced the EPP had won the elections. They augmented their MEP count from 176 to an estimated 185 out of the available 720.
Weber belonging to the centre-right Christian Democratic party, which topped the results in Germany, has further established himself as an influential character in the parliament. He was the choice of EPP for the role of the European Commission president five years ago but was disappointingly overlooked in favour of the then relatively obscure Ursula von der Leyen, due to Macron’s opposition.
Over the past year, Weber has led the EPP’s attempts to slow down EU environmental reforms, due to concerns about losing support from rural voters. The strong showing of parties leaning towards the centre-right may reinforce Weber’s belief that this was the right plan.
Peter Magyar emerged successful, as one of the keenly watched outcomes was the performance of his fresh opposition movement in Hungary. Magyar, previously a part of the government, distanced himself from Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party, popular since 2010, to take a stand against alleged corruption and favouritism, leading several substantial protests. Despite the victory of Orban’s party with ten seats, Magyar’s centre-right party, Tisza, secured seven seats, giving Fidesz a serious setback. For Orban, who has increasingly become a hindrance among national EU leaders, this is one of the worst outcomes in recent times.
A high-profile winner was the conservative Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose hard-right Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia) party saw great success in the polls. Rising from 10 seats to 24, it is now the most prominent Italian party. This success, where the party achieved 28 per cent of the vote, solidifies the support for Meloni’s right-wing coalition. In other parts of Italy, the centre-left Democratic Party, under Elly Schlein, also had a favourable outcome, increasing from 15 to 20 seats.
On the other hand, Emmanuel Macron emerged as a major loser. His central coalition lost nearly half its seats, tying for second place with the centre-left in France. Macron’s plummeting popularity among the French during his second term was further damaged by this disappointing result. His reluctance to back von der Leyen’s bid for another term at the European Commission diminished his influence over the German politician, and the election results will likely further weaken his position. The decision for early parliamentary elections might defer the full internal political repercussions.
The European Greens were also among the losers of this election.
There has been a substantial reduction in the influence of the European Greens within the European Parliament’s political factions. The party experienced a significant setback, losing around 20 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). This slump has seen the group’s seats fall from an unprecedented 71, won five years prior, to a conventional count of approximately 50. Particularly in Germany and France, the Greens suffered major defeats. This voter-led reduction in the Greens’ power has sparked concerns about environmental policies falling far down the new parliament’s order of precedence.