Following the European elections held from June 6 to 9, France is not the only one affected by the breakthrough of far-right parties. In several large European countries, nationalist and Eurosceptic groups are making progress, but there are also a few troublemakers. Overview.
InAustriathe FPÖ, the far-right party came first in the European elections this Sunday, with just over 25% of the votes, reports our correspondent in Vienna, Isaure Hiace. He is thus ahead of the conservatives (24.7%), the social democrats (23.3%), the Greens (10.9%) and the liberal party Neos (10.1%). The FPÖ signs an increase of more than 8 points compared to its 2019 score (from the last European elections) and is already thinking about the legislative elections next September.
Read alsoEuropean elections: Parliament’s turn to the right confirmed
While the two parties in power, conservatives and ecologists, suffered losses, almost 10 points for the conservatives compared to 2019, the FPÖ emerged victorious in these European elections. The far-right party never stopped, during the campaign, blaming and criticizing the European Union whenever it could.
It is this speech which convinced the voters according to Harald Vilimsky, head of the FPÖ list, who wants to see this Sunday’s results as the first success in a long series. “ When I hear statements that a large majority of Austrians now want more and even more Europe, I think that some are drawing the wrong conclusion from the result of these elections. I take our results as a mandate to continue to defend our red-white-red model in Brussels, to repatriate skills to Austria and to allow more direct democracy. I think we now have substantial substance and not just voters who voted for us in the short term. Some may have done it to protest the government, but I think the vast majority of them have incredible hopes for us. »
The FPÖ is already looking towards the legislative elections, scheduled for next September, with the hope, again, of coming in first. And this is what the polls have been predicting for several months now.
Read also2024 European election results
Baltic countries: traditional political forces in the lead
No big surprise in the Baltic countries as to the result of the European election: between them, they have 27 seats of deputies. The traditional political forces won the vote, reports our regional correspondent, Marielle Vitureau. Low participation, especially in Lithuania with 28%, was the big surprise of this election.
The three Baltic countries will send a majority of conservatives and social democrats to the European Parliament, all MPs with long experience in Brussels and Strasbourg. No breakthrough from parties located far to the right, nor from openly pro-Russian parties. The Progressive Party, which recently arrived on the Latvian political scene, is entering the European Parliament. The Latvians are also sending Reinis Poznaks, European of the Year in 2022. This entrepreneur organized a convoy of vehicles for Ukraine via the Twitter network. In Lithuania, one of the 11 deputies will be Petras Grazulis. This politician was dismissed a year ago for having voted in place of other deputies and thus became ineligible for ten years, without being prevented from being elected to the European Parliament. As soon as the composition of the new parliament is known, the Balts lose nothing by waiting. They are already debating who will be the next Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian commissioners.
Conservatives and socialists neck and neck in Spain
In Spain, the election was marked by a narrow victory for the conservatives of the People’s Party over the socialists. The People’s Party obtained 22 seats against 20 seats for the Socialist Party and the far-right Vox party doubled its score, going from 3 to 6 deputies. Surprise of this election, a new anti-party formation called “the party is over”, enters the European Parliament with three seats, reports our correspondent in Madrid, Diane Cambon.
It is therefore neither a massacre for the left, nor a crushing victory for the conservatives, as the leader of the right predicted, Alberto Feijoo. The sanction vote against the government of Pedro Sanchez certainly did not take place, but there is no doubt that the Spanish right is regaining ground. The Popular Party obtains two more deputies than the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). A narrow victory which is nevertheless considered a success by the right. Following the results, the general secretary of the Popular Party Cuca Gamarra welcomed this victory. “ Our goal was to win the European elections and we achieved it. We did this by leaving a very clear message: the discourse of fear does not work in Spain, the discourse of fracture is now ancient history for the Spaniards and the selfishness of populism is of no use in our country. “.
For Pedro Sanchez, this result risks further weakening his already unstable legislature, particularly because of his Catalan allies, who must soon form a regional government. However, it is unlikely that the leader of the left will announce early legislative elections as the right wishes, even if he will have to play the balancing act more than ever during the rest of his mandate.
Socialist victory in Portugal
At Portugal, the Socialist Party won the European election with 32.1% of the vote ahead of the government’s Democratic Alliance (AD) with 31.12%. An important fact of the election, the decline in far-right party Chega who nevertheless entered Parliament with two deputies. He predicted a tidal wave, but he will have to be content with entering the European Parliament with 2 deputies. Andre Venturathe leader of Chega, admitted his defeat at the microphone of our correspondent in Lisbon, Marie Line Darcy. “ Chega did not achieve its objectives, and I am responsible. But tomorrow we will attack to win and become government in Portugal.”
A measured failure, but a failure nonetheless for the AD, the government’s Democratic Alliance bowed to the socialist party. Luis Montenegro, Prime Minister, accepts his defeat. “ The DA’s goal for all elections is to win them one vote ahead of any other party. And as leader of the coalition I assume our failure,” and underlined the poor performance of Chega: “ We are seeing the rise of the extreme right in several member states of the union. Also, I congratulate the Portuguese people for continuing to be a reference regarding the founding values of the European Union”.
Finally, note the entry also into the European Parliament of the ultra liberals with 2 deputies. Abstention reached 62.4%
Scandinavia going against the flow of the rest of the continent
There SwedenTHE Denmark and the Finland send only 49 deputies out of the 720 in the European Parliament. But unlike the rest of the continent, more than half of their elected representatives will join the left benches in the hemicycle in Strasbourg. This is the big surprise of these European elections in the Nordic countries and the far right (which is nevertheless in power in Finland and Sweden) records its first defeats, reports our regional correspondent, Carlotta Morteo.
The explosion of joy from environmental activists undoubtedly marked election night in Sweden. Coming 3rd with 13.8% of the vote behind the traditional socialist and conservative parties, the Greens beat the nationalist Sweden Democrats to the post, although polls predicted a second place. A sign that the fight against climate change remains a priority for the Swedes. And a scathing defeat for the far right which for the first time is in retreat.
In neighboring Finland, it’s downright rout: the xenophobic True Finns party, which is part of the right-wing coalition in power, has lost half of its voters, and comes in 6th place while the left-wing Alliance created a surprise by coming 2nd, ahead of the Socialist Party, with 17.3% of the vote.
In Denmark, the Prime Minister’s grand centrist coalition Mette Frederiksen was sanctioned by the left-wing electorate: the red-greens, under the banner of the Socialist People’s Party, became the leading political force in the country, this is unprecedented.
Fidesz decline in Hungary
In HungaryFidesz, the radical right party of the nationalist prime minister Viktor Orbancomes at the head of these Europeans, but it records a clear decline, reports Florence Labruyere, our co-respondent in Budapest. An unexpected result for the Hungarian Prime Minister, who had announced “ historic elections » and who had predicted a big victory for his team which has reigned unchallenged for 14 years. “ We won ! “, welcomed Viktor Orban. His party, Fidesz came in 1st position with 44% of the votes. A result that would make many parties in Europe green with envy, but it’s a slap in the face: Fidesz had a much better score (52%) in previous European elections. He loses 2 seats in the new European Parliament where he will only have 11 deputies instead of 13.
It was the resounding entry of Peter Magyar onto the political scene that changed the situation. This former senior civil servant, who launched a party three months ago, won 30% of the votes! Peter Magyar mainly took votes from the left-wing opposition. But he also siphoned off right-wing voters, disappointed by the government. It is therefore a clap of thunder in the serene sky of Viktor Orban. Who perhaps has to worry about the next elections to the Hungarian parliament which will be in two years.
Geert Wilders defeated in the Netherlands
The alliance of the left and environmentalists wins the European elections in The Netherlands. The PVV is second. The xenophobic and eurosceptic party of Geert Wilders is doing less well than expected, reports our special envoy in The Hague, Julien Chavanne. Ultimately, this will not be the scenario dreamed of by Geert Wilders. His party is not the main force in the country and, further bad news, the PVV will have 6 elected to the European Parliament, instead of the 7 announced by the polls coming out of the polls last Thursday.
We are therefore far from the tidal wave hoped for by the far right. First reason: there was a lack of votes, almost half of the PVV electorate did not go to the polls. And the left resisted more than expected. Stefen de Vries is European affairs correspondent for BNR radio.
Geert Wilders consoles himself by focusing on the positive: his party is winning places in Brussels. Its 6 MEPs will join the ranks of the Identity and Democracy group, alongside the French from the National Rally.
Also read: the thread of the eveningEuropeans 2024: surge of the far right, political earthquake in France