The centre-right European People’s Party finished first in the 2024 European Parliament election, but the headline across the continent was the far right. In France, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally took roughly 31-32% of the vote, more than twice the score of Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance at around 15%. Macron answered by dissolving the French parliament and calling snap national elections three weeks out.
The seat count
Early projections gave the EPP 191 seats, and Al Jazeera put it at 182, up 8 from 2019. The European Parliament’s final tally for the 720-seat chamber, as of its constitutive session on July 23, 2024, is 188. Behind it:
Socialists & Democrats, 136. Patriots for Europe, 84. European Conservatives and Reformists, 78. Renew Europe, 77. Greens/EFA, 53. The Left, 46. Europe of Sovereign Nations, 25. Another 33 members sit as non-attached. Turnout across the bloc was 50.74%.
Winners and losers
Renew Europe, the liberal group, lost 22 seats on Al Jazeera’s count. The Greens fell by 19, giving back a big slice of the gains they made in 2019. PBS reported that farmer protests against climate rules hurt them across Europe.
In Germany the Alternative for Germany placed second with roughly 15.9%, its best national result, despite a run of scandals. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats got 13.9%, their worst post-war showing, and the opposition Union bloc won 30%. In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy took over 28% of the vote.
Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera pointed to “the wars in Ukraine and in Gaza, along with an ongoing economic crisis” as drivers of voter anxiety, and noted the far-right parties remain divided on how, or whether, to cooperate. Even so, a bigger bloc of them could slow EU policy on climate change, migration and aid to Ukraine.
What came next
Party officials began coalition talks the day after the results. EU leaders were due to meet on June 17 to assess the outcome and discuss whether Ursula von der Leyen should be reappointed to lead the European Commission.
Sources
- EU elections 2024: Winners and Losers
- Here are the main takeaways after the far right's surprising EU election wins
- 2024 European election results (European Parliament)
