Far‑right surge sparks protests as EU elections reshuffle seats

The European Parliament elections were held on 9 June. An election night was organized at its headquarters, which will be remembered for a long time. What happened behind the scenes when the first poll results were announced?

What did the elections look like at the headquarters of the European Parliament? What happened behind the scenes when the polling results were announced? The first results—from Austria, Greece, Cyprus, and Germany—started arriving at 18:00. It was already clear from these that far-right parties were gaining significant support.

The results from France also caused a stir, with Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally securing the majority. Immediately after the exit polls were published, French President Emmanuel Macron announced early parliamentary elections, which dominated conversations behind the scenes at the European Parliament.

Opponents of right-wing parties are concerned about the situation in Europe. On Sunday evening, they organized a spontaneous demonstration in front of the main entrance to the European Parliament. They sang the anti-fascist song "Bella Ciao" and called for political unity in light of the growing unrest in the European Union.

The entire projection of seat distribution in the new term of the European Parliament had to wait until 22:00 when polling stations closed in Italy. The results indicated that the European People's Party (EPP) won the most seats (189). The Socialist and Democrats faction finished second (135), followed by Renew Europe (80).

One notable announcement was made by EPP leader Manfred Weber, who stated that their candidate for the new head of the European Commission is Ursula von der Leyen. Von der Leyen's re-election is expected to be ensured by an alliance with the Socialists and Liberals. Additionally, Weber invited S&D and Renew Europe to negotiations from the election night stage.