While many are talking about French President Emmanuel Macron’s surprise snap election announcement after the far-right National Rally’s win, other countries in the EU are looking at their own results.

Despite gains by far-right and nationalist parties, the centre-right also did well, staying the largest group and gaining seats.

Centre-right parties were top in Germany, Greece, Poland, and Spain, and made progress in Hungary.

Here are some key points from around Europe:

Germany:

  • The three-party coalition government lost support, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz won’t call for an election.
  • The coalition of Social Democrats, Greens, and liberals faced challenges, especially after cutting ties with Russia due to the Ukraine invasion.
  • The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the new far-left BSW party gained support with simple messages.
  • The conservative CDU party led with 30% of the vote.

Italy:

  • Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni increased her popularity with 29% of the vote.
  • The opposition centre-left Democratic Party (PD) did well with 24%, boosting its leader Elly Schlein.
  • Smaller parties like Forza Italia and the League faced challenges, but Italy remains stable.

Netherlands:

  • The Green-Left parties won the most seats, while the anti-immigration Freedom Party (PVV) made significant gains.
  • Centre-right parties also did well, showing mixed feelings about the EU.

Hungary:

  • Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party won the elections, but the new centre-right Tisza party emerged strong with 30% of the vote.

Austria:

  • The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) leader Herbert Kickl called their win a “new era in politics” with 25.7% of the vote, ahead of the conservative People’s Party.

In summary, the elections had mixed results across Europe with gains for both far-right and centre-right parties, and some countries experiencing significant political changes.

Published: 10th June 2024

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