An initial projection provided by the European Union indicates far-right parties have made big gains at the European Parliament, as voting wrapped up Sunday on the final day of elections for the next five-year term.
In France, President Emanuel Macron made a surprise announcement that he was calling early legislative elections after his party suffered a heavy defeat from the far-right National Rally party.
In Germany, support for Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats sank to a projected 14%, behind the extreme-right Alternative for Germany, which surged into second place.
Millions of Europeans have been casting their ballots this week for a new European Parliament, the legislative branch of the 27-member trade bloc, in one of the world’s biggest democratic elections. Far-right parties were expected to gain more power amid a rise in the cost of living and farmers’ discontent, while the wars in Gaza and Ukraine are also key topics weighing on the minds of voters.
Official results are expected to begin coming in from late Sunday.
Currently:
— France’s Macron calls a snap election after heavy defeat
— Far-right Alternative for Germany make gains; poor showing for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats
— What’s at stake: AP’s explainer on how it works and the main issues
— Overwhelmed by the elections? A guide to the key races to watch
Here’s the latest:
VOTING OFFICIALLY ENDS AS LAST POLLING STATIONS IN ITALY CLOSE
ROME — The last polling stations have closed in Italy, officially ending voting across Europe in the EU’s parliamentary election.
Italian polling stations closed at 11 p.m. local time (2100GMT), officially ending a marathon election spanning over four days across 27 bloc member countries.
FRANCE’S LE PEN: WE’RE READY TO TURN THE COUNTRY AROUND
Marine Le Pen, of France’s far-right National Rally party, says she is “ready to turn the country around” after dealing a heavy blow to French President Emmanuel Macron in the EU parliamentary election.
“We’re ready for it. After the legislative elections of 2022, which designated the National Rally Party as the main parliamentary opponent, these European elections confirm our movement as the major force for change in France,” she told party supporters in Paris.
“We are ready to exercise power if the French people place their trust in us in these future legislative elections. We’re ready to turn the country around, ready to defend the interests of the French, ready to put an end to mass immigration, ready to make the purchasing power of the French a priority,” she said.
NEAR COMPLETE RESULTS IN GREECE SHOW GOVERNING CENTER-RIGHT PARTY IN COMFORTABLE WIN
ATHENS, Greece — Near complete results in Greece show the governing center-right New Democracy party comfortably ahead in the EU Parliamentary election with just under 28% of the vote, but with a poorer showing than the 33% it won in the previous election which the party leadership had set as a bar for Sunday’s poll.
Results from 95% of polling precincts showed that the left-wing main opposition SYRIZA also lost ground, polling just below 15%, down from nearly 24% in 2019. Socialist PASOK scored just under 13%, up from nearly 8%. Hard-right populist Greek Solution, which also saw a rise in its popularity to 9.5% from 4%, is the largest of three far-right parties to send representatives to the European Parliament, alongside the ultra-religious Niki with 4% and Voice of Reason with 3%.
The Communist Party also increased its score, as did catch-all, nominally leftist Passage to Freedom.
New Democracy wins seven of Greece’s allotted seats in the 720-member assembly, one less than in 2019. SYRIZA elects four, two fewer than last time. PASOK gains a seat, as does Greek Solution, which now have three and two Euro-MPs respectively. The Communists keep their two seats, while newcomers Niki, Passage to Freedom and Voice of Reason have one each.
FAR-RIGHT ELAM PARTY CLINCHES ONE OF SIX EU PARLIAMENT SEATS ALLOTTED TO CYPRUS
NICOSIA, Cyprus — The state broadcaster of Cyprus says near-complete results show the far-right ELAM party has managed to clinch one of six seats allotted to the country in the European Parliament.
It’s the first time that the far-right party, founded in 2008, has earned a seat in the European Parliament. ELAM’s strident polemics against large numbers of migrants who have reached Cyprus in recent years has increasingly resonated with voters and have given the party a steady rise in support.
With almost 85% of the vote counted, ELAM has garnered just over 11%, the state broadcaster said.
ELAM President Christos Christou said Sunday that ELAM would seek to be inducted into the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Party headed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Christou said his party’s policy focus in the European Parliament would be the migration issue and to seek a deal remedying Cyprus’ half-century old ethnic division.
POLISH PRIME MINISTER TUSK DECLARES VICTORY
WARSAW, Poland — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has declared victory after an exit poll showed a decisive victory for his centrist pro-EU party.
The exit poll by Ipsos showed over 38% of votes going to his Civic Coalition. According to the poll, the result was a disappointing showing for Law and Justice, the national conservative party that governed Poland from 2015-23. The poll showed it with nearly 34%.
The far-right Confederation party was in third place in the exit poll, winning nearly 12% for a strong showing.
CYPRIOT INFLUENCER WITH NO POLITICAL EXPERIENCE APPEARS SET TO WIN EU PARLIAMENT SEAT
NICOSIA, Cyprus — A popular YouTuber and TikToker whose humorous and occasionally obnoxious posts have earned him tens of thousands of followers has stunned Cyprus’ political world by appearing to wrest one of six seats allotted to the island nation in the European Parliament from traditional political powerhouses.
With more than three quarters of votes counted, unofficial results show Fidias Panayiotou clinching almost 20% of votes, about 2 percentage points behind the communist-rooted AKEL party in second and 4 percentage points behind the center-right Democratic Rally Party.
Although opinion polls have consistently showed Panayiotou garnering high numbers, no one expected him to crush to this degree much of the country’s political establishment solely through his social media fame after a mere two-month campaign in which he essentially offered no political positions.
In his first remarks after polls closed and initial results showed him steadily in third place, Fidias, who goes only by his first name, said a “miracle” had been achieved, conceding that he himself didn’t believe he would pull in such numbers.
“This could be the first time that a completely independent candidate who doesn’t have even an inkling of support from a political party, has managed to get elected, with social media being his only weapon,” Fidias said.
He spoke of the opening of a “new chapter in the book of democracy” where citizens are more empowered and chastised representatives of political parties by suggesting voters have turned their backs on them and their self-serving ways.
Analysts said Fidias drew his votes primarily from the 18-39 age bracket, but managed to get a respectable percentage from older voters.
Fidias shot to fame in a video a few years ago when he managed to get a hug from billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.
FRENCH PRESIDENT MACRON CALLS SNAP LEGISLATIVE ELECTION AFTER DEFEAT IN EU VOTE
PARIS – French President Emanuel Macron says he is dissolving the National Assembly and calling a snap legislative election after his party suffered a heavy defeat in elections for the European Parliament.
In an address to the nation from the Elysee presidential palace, Macron said: “I’ve decided to give you back the choice of our parliamentary future through the vote. I am therefore dissolving the National Assembly.” The vote will take place in two rounds on June 30 and July 7, he said.
The move comes as first projected results from France on Sunday put the far-right National Rally party well ahead in the European Union’s parliamentary election, defeating Macron’s pro-European centrists, according to French opinion poll institutes.
FIRST PROJECTION BY EU SUGGEST FAR-RIGHT PARTIES MADE BIG GAINS
BRUSSELS — Far-right parties have made big gains at the European Parliament as the Greens took a major hit at Sunday’s European elections, according to a first projection provided by the European Union.
The estimates aggregated by the EU parliament are based on exit polls or other survey data, along with projections that may include some partial election returns.
The two mainstream and pro-European groups, the conservatives and the socialists, lost a few seats but remained the dominant forces. The Greens were expected to lose about 20 seats.
FIRST PROJECTED RESULTS FROM FRANCE PUT FAR-RIGHT NATIONAL RALLY PARTY WELL AHEAD IN EU ELECTION
PARIS, France — The first projected results from France are putting the far-right National Rally party well ahead in EU elections, according to French opinion poll institutes.
Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration, nationalist party is estimated to get around 31-32% of the vote, more than twice the score of President Emmanuel Macron’s pro-European centrist party that is projected to reach around 15%.
France is electing 81 members of the European Parliament.
CROATIA EXIT POLLS PROJECT GOVERNING CONSERVATIVES TO WIN THE MOST VOTES
ZAGREB, Croatia — Exit polls in Croatia project the ruling conservatives to win the most votes in the EU election, followed by the main center-left opposition party. A newcomer far-right party also won a seat for the first time.
The Croatian Democratic Union of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic won 33.7% of the vote, or six seats, while the Social Democratic Party won 27.8%, or four seats, according to the exit poll conducted by the Ipsos polling agency and broadcast by the state HRT television.
The report said that far-right Homeland Movement won 8.6%, or one seat. The party is part of the coalition government in Croatia after emerging as kingmaker at a recent parliamentary election. The Liberal We Can group won 5.4%, which is also one seat.
LOW TURNOUT IN GREECE, WHERE NONE OF 3 MAIN PARTIES SEEMS TO HAVE REACHED THEIR GOALS
ATHENS, Greece — In Greece, none of the big three parties has reached their stated goals in Sunday’s election for the European Parliament, but all may find a silver lining in them.
With more than 40% of the vote counted, turnout is 39%, nearly 20 percentage points below that of the last European election, in May 2019.
The ruling center-right New Democracy had hoped to match its 2019 result of 33%. So far, it is polling at 27.6%, still far ahead of main opposition SYRIZA with nearly 15% and the socialist PASOK at just over 13%.
SYRIZA leader Stefanos Kasselakis had hoped for at least 20% of vote share or, at least, to match the 17.8% obtained by the party in last year’s second national election. PASOK had hoped to overtake SYRIZA for second place, as opinion polls seemed to show last year. But if results hold, its margin with SYRIZA will be less than shown in recent opinion surveys.
Far-right parties increased their share of the vote, even as one of them, the Spartans, was barred from contesting the election. Greek Solution is so far getting nearly 10% of the vote, the ultra-religious Niki at just over 4% and Voice of Reason at 3%.
EXIT POLLS INDICATE PARTY OF BULGARIA’S EX-PRIME MINISTER IS THE LIKELY WINNER
SOFIA, Bulgaria — Exit polls in Bulgaria indicate the GERB center-right party of three-time Prime Minister Boyko Borissov is the likely winner of the country’s parliamentary vote as well as the election for European Parliament.
The exit poll conducted by Gallup International showed the GERB party with 26%, apparently edging out the reformist coalition between the We Continue the Change party and the right-wing Democratic Bulgaria by a margin of over 10 percentage points in both votes. Borissov held the premiership three times between 2009 and 2021.
Projections show a record-low voter turnout. Initial results are expected on Monday, but it could take days before the final official results are announced.
If final results confirm indications from the exit poll, Borissov will be handed a mandate to form his fourth cabinet, though he could face an uphill task in finding allies to form a governing coalition in a fragmented parliament.
The ultra-nationalist Vazrazhdane party, a strong opposition to any actions against Putin’s Russia, is seen as widening its parliamentary presence at home to 15% and for the first time is also expected to send at least three representatives to the European Parliament.
MAINSTREAM, PRO-EU PARTIES EXPECTED TO HOLD MAJORITY DESPITE GAINS BY FAR RIGHT
BRUSSELS — First national estimates from five European Union countries provided by the European Parliament suggest mainstream and pro-European parties should retain their majority in next legislature despite gains by the far-right.
The estimates aggregated by the EU parliament were based on exit polls or other survey data. They came from Austria, Cyprus, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands.
The Socialists, Liberals, Greens and Conservatives put on a strong showing even though they are expected to lose seats to far-right parties like those led by Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán, Geert Wilders in the Netherlands and Marine Le Pen in France.
VON DER LEYEN CONGRATULATES HER GERMAN PARTY AFTER EXIT POLLS SHOWS IT DID WELL
BRUSSELS — European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen has congratulated her German party, the Christian Democratic Union, on its result in the election after exit polls showed that it was the biggest vote-getter.
“You know that we in Europe still have to wait several hours, but what you have already set as a trend is all the better – strongest force, stable, in difficult times and by a distance,” she told supporters by video link from Brussels.
“Now we have to replicate this in Europe, but I am confident that we will succeed this evening,” she said.
EXIT POLLS POINT TO GAINS FOR GERMANY’S FAR RIGHT
Exit polls pointed to very weak results for Germany’s governing parties and gains for the far-right Alternative for Germany in Sunday’s vote for the European Parliament, while the mainstream conservative opposition was set to remain the country’s strongest political force in the legislature.
The polls for ARD and ZDF public television showed support for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats at 14%, below the 15.8% they managed in 2019 and far below their showing in Germany’s last national election in 2021.
The environmentalist Greens, the second-biggest party in Scholz’s coalition, fell from a successful 20.5% five years ago to around 12%, according to the exit polls. Support for the pro-business Free Democrats, the third party in the quarrelsome and unpopular government, was seen at 5%.
The exit polls gave a clear lead to the center-right Union bloc, now the main opposition force, putting its support at around 30%. That’s in line with its 2019 result and better than its showing in the last national election.
Alternative for Germany, or AfD, was seen winning up to 16.5% of the vote. That’s better than 11% in 2019 but still some way short of its poll ratings several months ago. The party has seen a string of setbacks this year, including scandals surrounding its two lead candidates for the European Parliament.
BELGIUM LOOKING INTO REPORTS OF IRREGULARITIES BY TEEN VOTERS
BRUSSELS — Some underage voters in Belgium who were only allowed to cast their ballot in the European elections might have also voted in regional and federal elections
