Emmanuel Macron was defeated by the far-right in the European elections yesterday, prompting the French president to call an emergency parliamentary vote, notes " ;Daily Telegraph", BTA reported.
Macron suffered a humiliating defeat after, according to exit polls, the party "National Assembly" of Marine Le Pen reached more than twice his party's share of the vote in the European Parliament vote. In a shocking address to the nation, he said the far right was "advancing everywhere on the continent" and admitted that the elections for the European Parliament "are not a good result for the parties that defend Europe". The rise of the far right also helped defeat German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose Social Democrats recorded their worst ever European election result.
According to the exit polls, the Eurosceptic and nationalist party "Alternative for Germany" (AzG) took second place in the vote, and the center-right Christian Democratic Union remained in first place. On Sunday evening, the centrist, liberal and green parties were expected to maintain a balance of power in the 720-seat EU parliament. But the double blow to Macron and Scholz, the bloc's most important leaders, has raised questions about how they can lead politics on the continent, notes the "Daily Telegraph".
Le Pen's party and the AzG campaigned against net-zero emissions policies, calling them a burden on citizens during the cost-of-living crisis. Both parties have called for tighter restrictions on immigration and have spoken out against continuing to aid Ukraine with large sums of European funds and weapons.
"Far-right parties that in recent years have opposed so many of the achievements made possible by our Europe are advancing everywhere on the continent," Macron said.
"That's why, at the end of this day, I can't pretend that nothing happened. That is why I have decided to give you back the choice of our parliamentary future through a vote," Macron said, announcing early parliamentary elections in France on June 30.
Giorgia Meloni won the Euro vote in Italy and her party will send the most MEPs to Brussels and Strasbourg, the "Daily Telegraph" points out. Predictions were that the far-right leader would lead the "Italian Brothers" to victory, which she did, taking 30% of the vote, according to one recent poll. The triumph would cement Meloni's growing influence in the EU, where she is increasingly courted by centre-right politicians, including Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission. They are seeking her party's support in shaping the bloc's policy in the next parliament.
If her victory is confirmed, it will be one of the most significant in a series of triumphs for far-right leaders on the continent.
Marine Le Pen, who humiliated Emmanuel Macron at the French polls so badly that he called early parliamentary elections, called on Meloni to form a nationalist coalition after the election to have more influence in Brussels. Wherever he ends up, Meloni is likely to use his influence to try to push Europe further to the right. She has already said her Rwanda-style migrant deal with Albania could be a model for the rest of the EU.
On Sunday, the EU clearly moved to the right, found "Spiegel". This is not an unexpected development; more surprising is how even it is. In many countries, right-wing populists and the far-right made huge gains and won almost a third of the vote, for example in France with the "National Assembly" (31.5%), in Austria with the Austrian Freedom Party (27%) and in Italy with "Italian Brothers" (27.7%). Compared to them, the 16 percent of the German "Alternative for Germany" they seem almost modest, points out "Spiegel". A decisive factor now is how Ursula von der Leyen, who is seeking re-election as president of the European Commission, will act on this development to secure a majority in the European Parliament if elected.
"This is a bitter evening for us," said the leading candidate of the German Social Democratic Party (GSDP) Katarina Barli on TV Cet De Ef. "It's clear we didn't have any headwinds from federal politics." Similar voices were heard from the side of the Greens: "We need to emphasize the good things we sometimes do in politics," said party co-chairman Omid Nuripour on the air of Cet De Ef. "We have to get results."
Chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Friedrich Merz described the election result as a "catastrophe" the parties of the ruling coalition in Germany, notes in "Frankfurter allgemeine" . "We need a policy change in Germany," he said in Berlin. "Things cannot continue the same way for the last two and a half years." According to him, the ruling "traffic light coalition" (from the party colors of the three ruling parties red, green, yellow - note ed.) harms the country, for example in terms of economic and migration policy. A course correction is needed, he pointed out.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen enthusiastically congratulated the CDU/CSU parties on their success. "We're in awe of what you've accomplished," she said Sunday night. "Now we have to repeat this in Europe." She expressed confidence that the center-right will work successfully in the new composition of the EP. "We will build a bulwark against the extremes of the left and the right“ is what the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said, to whom the "Guardian" pays attention.
Preliminary results show that far-right parties are in first place in France, Italy and Austria and in second place in Germany and the Netherlands, although traditional centrist formations are likely to retain a majority in the European Parliament, the newspaper noted.
"There is still a majority in the political center for a strong Europe and this is crucial for stability. In other words, the center resisted," Von der Leyen also said. The Socialists won the largest share of the vote in Malta, Romania and Sweden, helping the centre-left maintain its position as the second political force in the EP, albeit far weaker than in the 1990s, when it led many more governments , notes the "Guardian"
The European People's Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats, the centrist group "Renew Europe" and the Greens are on course to win 462 of the 720 seats, a share of 64.1%, compared to 69.2% in the outgoing parliament, the Guardian concluded.
"The New York Times" also notes the relative holding of centrist parties in the European Parliament vote, but says the far-right is wreaking havoc Strong support for anti-immigrant and nationalist parties has challenged leaders in Germany and France and unsettled mainstream political forces, the newspaper added. The result of the vote for the European Parliament could turn the extreme right into a destructive force, adds the "New York Times".
The European Parliament is tilting to the right, notes "Washington Post". The newspaper indicated that the disastrous results of French President Emmanuel Macron's coalition led him to dissolve the National Assembly and call early elections.
The first preliminary results of Sunday's European Parliament elections showed that voters punished the ruling centrists and supported far-right parties, most notably in France. Although a combination of centrist and pro-EU parties was expected to retain a majority in the European Union legislature, far-right parties won the largest share of seats in France and Italy, and came second in Germany. Green parties throughout the European Union suffered a particularly heavy blow, summarizes the "Washington Post".