For at least the third European election in a row the EU was destined to be overwhelmed by a surging far right. Or, at least, that’s what the panicked headlines of much of Europe’s political commentary predicted in the run-up to last weekend’s elections. However, once again, newspaper headline writers everywhere were disappointed by the more prosaic results.
The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) increased its seats while the centre-left Socialists and Democrats group (S&D) remained stable. Rather than the political centre weakening, it was the progressive side of the chamber (Liberals and Greens) that haemorrhaged support (up to 40 seats) – a trend particularly apparent among younger voters in France and Germany. The unpalatable reality is that it was these losses that drove the gains on the harder-right aisle of the European Parliament .
The centre didn’t break; the progressives lost the fight. In part, this election emphasised just how poorly the political dynamics of the parliament are understood. The simplistic assessment of the far right as a unitary and coherent political grouping overstates their potential impact and exaggerates their power and reach.
It also ignores how across much of eastern Europe and Scandinavia the far right underperformed expectations. READ MORE Elections 2024: All 949 local seats filled as counting continues for Europe in Midlands-North-West and Ireland South French parties under pressure in EU parliament groups as election .