European Elections 2024: A Shift in the Political Landscape
The 2024 European elections have resulted in significant gains for right-wing parties across the continent. In Germany, the CDU and CSU emerged as the strongest force, collectively securing 32.6% of the vote, according to the interim results from the Federal Returning Officer. The SPD garnered 14.6%, while the AfD, with 14.2%, slipped to the third position. This contrasts with the Greens, who collected 12.1%, showing a decrease from previous years. Liberal parties like the FDP received 5.3%, whereas the Left party managed only 2.2%.
Italy witnessed a notable victory for right-wing leadership as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's party, Fratelli d'Italia, dominated the European elections with 26-30% of the votes. This marks a significant increase from their previous 6.4% in 2019, underscoring Meloni's robust national campaign. In Belgium, right-wing Flemish parties also made substantial gains, with the Neo-Flemish Alliance securing 18% and Vlaams Belang coming in second with 15%.
Center-Right EPP Holds Ground Amidst Rising Nationalism
In France, the European elections resulted in substantial wins for the right-wing populist party Rassemblement National (RN), led by Marine Le Pen, which garnered around 32% of the vote. This propelled President Emmanuel Macron to dissolve the National Assembly and call for new elections. Meanwhile, President Ursula von der Leyen celebrated the success of her center-right EPP alliance, which secured 181 seats in the European Parliament, making it the largest political group.
Despite the significant gains by far-right parties, the pro-European camp remains the majority. The EPP, with key members from Germany's CDU and CSU, aims to form alliances to create a robust defense against extremist factions. The Social Democrats, the second largest group, secured 135 seats, maintaining their presence. Liberals experienced a reduction to 82 seats, while right-wing alliances EKR and ID acquired 71 and 62 seats, respectively.
- The European elections saw a voter turnout of 64%, which is 3.6% higher than the previous elections in 2019. Germany experienced a particularly high voter engagement, with areas like Munich reporting nearly 50% turnout by early afternoon on election day.
- The elections were not without disruptions. Severe storms in Austria caused flooding and damage, leading to the relocation of several polling stations. In Styria, particularly, infrastructure challenges impeded voting processes.
- Parallel to the European elections, several German states held local elections, including Baden-Württemberg, Brandenburg, Hamburg, and others. This simultaneous local and European voting contributed to higher overall participation rates.
