European Elections 2024: A Spotlight on the Small Winners
The recent European elections in Germany and France have brought significant attention to the success of major right-wing, conservative, and mainstream parties. Nevertheless, it is crucial to acknowledge and celebrate the smaller parties that have shown resilience and achieved notable success at a micro level, marking their presence in the European Parliament.
Germany's Lesser-Known Victors
In Germany, 14 parties have secured spots in the European Parliament, with six parties capturing more than five percent of the vote. Among these, three seats each were won by The Left Party, Volt, and the Free Voters. Volt, a pro-European party, significantly improved its performance from 0.7% in 2019 to 2.6% in 2024. The Free Voters, despite their local successes in Bavaria, remain minor players at the European level but still managed to increase their vote share to 2.7%. The satirical party, 'Die Partei,' led by Martin Sonneborn, will be sending two MEPs to the Parliament, continuing their unconventional approach to politics.
The Small Parties' Micro Successes in France
In France, the European electoral landscape was equally compelling, with 31 of the 38 lists failing to secure representation in the European Parliament. However, candidates like Jean Lassalle and Léon Deffontaines, despite not winning seats, managed micro victories in certain municipalities. Lassalle's Rural Alliance garnered 2.5% of the votes and came first in 184 municipalities, largely in Southern France. Deffontaines, leading the United Left for the World of Work list, also snatched first-place victories in 16 municipalities, although mainly in regions with fewer than 100 voters.
Future Challenges and Opportunities
The success stories of these small parties underscore the diverse political fabric of Europe. However, the upcoming 2029 European elections might toughen the competition as Germany plans to reintroduce a two percent threshold. This change may pose challenges for these minor parties to maintain their representation at the European level.
- Notably, the Party of Progress (PdF), a newcomer founded in 2020, secured its first seat in the European Parliament. This centrist party campaigned for direct elections of the European Commission President, signaling a shift towards more democratic processes within the EU.
- Besides, the Christian-oriented Family Party, the Animal Protection Party, and the Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP) each secured one seat, highlighting the voters' diverse interests and the issues they care about.
- In France, minor parties like Florian Philippot's Europe, that's enough! list advocating for Frexit and Caroline Zorn’s Pirate Party emphasizing digital technology, struggled to make significant headway but achieved notable local wins. Philippe Asselineau's Frexit list performed particularly well among French citizens in Russia.
