Key Timelines and Projections for the 2024 European Elections
The 2024 European elections are generating significant anticipation across the continent, involving over 350 million people in the 27 member states of the European Union. The voting process commenced on June 6th and concludes on June 9th. The initial results have begun to shape expectations, with some countries already providing post-election surveys and preliminary projections.
In Germany, the conservative CDU/CSU coalition is leading with nearly 30% of the votes, while the far-right AfD follows at about 16%. Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz's SPD party trails at around 14%. Other notable projections are in Austria, where the far-right FPÖ party is expected to secure the most seats with 27% of the vote. Meanwhile, in Spain, the Socialist Party, embroiled in a scandal, still managed to secure around 30% of the vote, just behind the Popular Party at 32.4%.
Throughout France, the National Rally leads with 31.47% of the votes, while the presidential majority, 'Need for Europe,' garnered 14.56%. Significant shifts were seen in Paris, where the Socialists, led by Raphaël Glucksmann, achieved 22.72%, outperforming traditional results. Marie Toussaint of the ecologists and Marion Maréchal Le Pen of Reconquête hovered around the 5% threshold.
Election Results and Their Implications
Comprehensive projections show the European People's Party, Socialists and Democrats (S&D), and Renew Europe (centrists and liberals) maintaining a majority in the Parliament, although far-right forces are witnessing a surge. In Bulgaria, GERB, a center-right party, clinched the top spot with 25% of the votes. The Czech Republic saw the end of their elections on Saturday, with results expected by Sunday evening. Meanwhile, Malta’s preliminary results indicate a tight race between the Labor Party and the Nationalist Party.
In Northern Europe, Denmark saw a left-leaning shift with Socialists leading at 18.4% followed by Social Democrats at 15.4%. Netherlands witnessed the Labor-Green alliance leading with 21.60% of the votes, relegating the Freedom Party to second place.
On Sunday evening, the official results will be made available, providing a clearer picture of the political landscape for the next five years. The detailed results from countries like Ireland, Italy, Latvia, and Croatia will play a crucial role in shaping the final composition of the European Parliament.
- In **Cyprus**, the right-wing DISY party narrowly won with 24.4%, while the left-wing AKEL followed closely with 23.7%. The competition was tighter than expected.
- In **Greece**, the right-wing Nea Dimokratia party was anticipated to dominate, and it did, with exit polls suggesting they garnered between 28-32% of the votes.
- In the smaller nation of **Luxembourg**, initial projections expected pre-election surveys to provide valuable insights into the potential results, cautiously noting a close competition amid several leading parties.
