CNN
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The results of the European Parliament elections, one of the world’s largest democratic elections, have been announced and several clear narratives have emerged from days of voting.
Far-right parties across the continent have garnered strong support, but their momentum has not led to the erosion of the centre of European politics as many expected.
In return, the Liberals and Greens lost their seats and presence in the European Parliament.
Meanwhile, domestic politics were in turmoil in several countries, including France, where new elections were announced.
Here’s what you need to know:
Ahead of the vote, attention across Europe has been largely focused on the continent’s far-right parties, whose gains are expected to dominate Sunday’s election.
These gains have come to fruition, with far-right groups expected to win a record number of seats in the European Parliament, dealing a major blow to the continent’s establishment leaders.
Exit polls predicted that far-right parties would win around 150 of the 720 seats in parliament, potentially hampering efforts by mainstream parties to form the majority needed to pass legislation.
The far-right’s gains were concentrated in countries with large parliamentary seats: France, Italy and Germany.
But to maximize political threat, parties still need to work toward consensus.
Germany’s AfD lost a political foothold when its main European candidate, Maximilian Kurler, was expelled from the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) party after saying he did not believe all members of the Nazi SS were criminals.
The Non-Aligned (NI) group, which also includes several other far-right parties, is expected to secure 45 seats.
Despite gains by the far-right, the centrist European People’s Party (EPP) won the biggest single victory in Sunday night’s election.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech late on Sunday that the coalition, expected to win the most seats, could still act as an “anchor of stability”.
She, however, called on her political allies to help in keeping a vigil against extremist parties.
“The centre remains, but it is also true that both extremes, left and right, are gaining support and that is why this result places a great responsibility on the centre parties,” she told an audience in Brussels.
Ms von der Leyen appeared to rule out her party joining forces with the far-right, telling reporters she would work with the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the centre-liberal Renew Europe to form a “broad majority for a strong Europe”.
Von der Leyen, who is seeking a second term as European Commission president, made clear her desire to continue moving forward with “pro-European, pro-Ukrainian and pro-rule of law” parties.
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The outcome has caused major upheaval in the politics of several European countries, as the victory of previously fringe groups became too difficult for some leaders to ignore.
French President Emmanuel Macron called a surprise early election on Sunday after his party suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rally National (RN) party.
“I have decided to give back to you the right to decide the future of parliament through your vote. Therefore, tonight I am dissolving the National Assembly,” Macron said. Elections to choose a new parliament will be held on June 30 and July 7.
France’s leading far-right electoral list in the European elections won more than a third of the total votes, according to official results published by the French Ministry of the Interior on Monday. With France back in power, the European electoral list of Marine Le Pen’s RN party was published, with the list led by her niece, Marion Maréchal, winning 36.83% of the total votes, more than the next three parties combined.
“The unprecedented defeat of the current government marks the end of a cycle and the first day of the post-Macron era,” party leader Jordan Bardella said in a celebratory speech at RN headquarters before Macron’s shock announcement.
Meanwhile, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo resigned after his party suffered crushing defeats in national and European elections.
The 48-year-old politician struggled to hold back tears as he announced the decision in Brussels on Sunday evening. “I was the voice of this campaign. This is not the outcome I wanted, so I take responsibility for this result. It was never meant to happen,” De Croo told reporters.
Meloni and Tusk have a fun night
While few key EU leaders celebrated the night of the results, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni saw his party make strides and ended the electoral process as a major player in European politics.
Her national party, the Brotherhood of Italy, was the most right-wing party elected to power in Italy since wartime fascist leader Benito Mussolini.
But Meloni has proven a pragmatist in Europe, becoming an ally of von der Leyen and a strong supporter of Ukraine while pushing the European Union to take a tougher stance on migration.
These efforts could accelerate after Italian compatriots win the national vote.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s efforts to make Poland a force in Brussels got a boost after his party won a landslide victory over the populist opposition Law and Justice (PiS) group.
Tusk has rehabilitated Poland’s reputation in the European forum since defeating PiS in last October’s general election. The former European Council president made reintegration into Europe a key pillar of his election campaign and his term in office, and Poland’s strategic importance to the EU has increased since Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
Mainstream leaders in Brussels will also be relieved that Sunday’s blow was dealt to Hungary’s authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a long-time thorn in the EU’s side.
His party, Fidesz, lost ground to the centre-right opposition and recorded its worst performance so far in a European election.
Far-right parties have grown in power, while left-wing groups, especially the Greens, have been squeezed across Europe.
Early results show particularly large drops in support for the Green Party in France and Germany.
“The defeats in Germany and France are a clear blow,” Bas Eickhout, vice-president of the Greens/European Liberal Alliance and the European Greens’ leading candidate, acknowledged in a statement when the results were announced.
The group says it will try to lobby the new parliament to make climate action a priority, but its standing has weakened significantly and it is unclear to what extent European leaders will need to rely on its support.
The European Commission announced one of the world’s most ambitious targets in February to drastically cut global-warming pollution, but it has faced opposition in rural areas across the continent, with farming unions saying the plans threaten their livelihoods.
