427 million people eligible to vote in 28 states have elected a new European Parliament. According to the latest census results, the strongest group will be the EPP (European People’s Party (Christian Democrats)) (179 seats, 23.8%), followed by the Socialist Group S & D (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Social Democrats in the European Parliament) (150 seats, 20%) and the ALDE (Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) (107 seats, 14.2%) and the Greens (The Greens / European Free Alliance) (70 seats, 9.3%).
The results of the right-wing and far-right parties in the European countries – and their possibilities of influence in the European Parliament
The conservative-right-wing populist faction EKR (European Conservatives and Reformers, strongest parties so far: the British Conservative Party and the Polish Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (PiS) ranked 5, gets 58 seats (7.7%). Until now it had 77 seats.
On rank 6 follows the right-wing populist to extremist group ENF (Europe of nations and freedom, strongest parties so far Rassemblement National (F), FPÖ (Austria)), also with 58 seats. Until now they had 36 seats.
On rank 6 there is the right-wing populist faction EFDD (Europe of freedom and direct democracy, strongest parties so far UKIP (UK), Lega (I)), with 56 seats, 7.5%. So far, they had 42 seats.
So there is a slight increase in the number of seats of right-wing groups in the European Parliament: so far they had 155, now there will be about 172 seats. Thus, the right-wing populists are far from the absolute majority of 376 votes, with which they could block EU decisions.
However, they will receive more time and attention and could also gain important posts, such as in the presidencies of the current 20 parliamentary committees.
The gains in the camp of right-wing populists and national conservatives are based above all on the strong performance of some parties:
- „Lega“ of Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini
- „Rassemblement National“ of Marine Le Pen in France
- „Fidesz“ party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
- Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (PiS), ruling party in Poland
- Brexit Party of Nigel Farage in the UK (the largest party by votes in the UK)
Matteo Salvini has announced the creation of a new right-wing populist faction („European Alliance of Peoples and Nations“) under the leadership of the „Lega“, which could comprise around 74 MPs. But this must first be formed. The AfD had expressed interest in joining in advance, also u.a. the Hungarian Fidesz party, the FPÖ, the French „Rassemblement National“).
The exact composition of the political groups in the new European Parliament will be negotiated in the following days. When Great Britain leaves the EU with BREXIT, the elected 73 British MEPs must also leave the EU Parliament.
Hungary
The winner of the election is clearly the Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s right-wing party Fidesz: 52% of the votes (2014: 51%). The far-right party Jobbik received 6.4% of the votes.
Poland
The nationalist-conservative governing party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (engl. Law and Justice), PiS for short, has become the strongest force with 45.6% of the votes. They can send about 24 deputies to the parliament.
Konfederacja, a coalition of anti-abortionists, nationalists and anti-EU politicians, received 4.6% of the votes.
Kukiz’15, the right-wing populist party of former singer Paweł Kukiz, received 3.7% of the votes.
Italy
The right-wing populist and racist „Lega“ of Matteo Salvini has become the strongest force in Italy, it got 34.3% of the votes (2014: 6.2%). The populist five-star movement received 17.1% of the votes (in parliamentary elections they were the strongest force with 32%). Lega wants to lead a newly-founded faction „European Alliance of Peoples and Nations“.
The right-wing populist „Forza Italia“ by Silvio Berlusconi received 8.8% of the votes.
The nationalist-conservative „Fratelli d’Italia“ received 6.5% of the votes.
UK
Nigel Farage’s new right-wing populist Brexit party became UK’s strongest force, with 31.6% of the votes. The desire for BREXIT is obviously still there.
Farage’s former party, UKIP, plummeted: 3.6% of the votes, compared to 27.4% in 2014.
The Islamophobic single candidate Tommy Robinson aka Stephen Yaxley-Lennon has not been elected to the European Parliament.
France
5 years ago, at the last EU election, Marine Le Pen’s party was still called „Front National“ and received 24.8% of the votes. As „Rassemblement National“ it got 23.3% of the votes – still more than the party „La République en Marche (LREM)“ by President Emmanuel Macron (22.4%).
The list „Le courage de défendre les français avec Nicolas Dupont-Aignan“ with the yellow-vests media star Benjamin Cauchy and Nicolas Deupont-Aignan („Debout la France“) received 3.5% of the votes.
Austria
The right-wing populist FPÖ receives 17.2% of the vote – a minus of 2.5%. Not much loss, considering that Austria has just been shaken by the Ibiza video affair and FPÖ boss Hans-Christian Strache has just been found guilty to sell his „homeland“ to Russian investors. The ÖVP of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, coalition partner of the FPÖ, has even won: + 7.9%, now 34.9%.
Latvia
The far-right Nacionālā apvienība (NA) has won 16.4% of the votes, making it the third largest party in Latvia.
Sweden
Strong gains for the right-wing populist Sverigedemokraterna (Sweden Democrats): plus 5.7%, a total of 15.5% – and thus a seat in the European Parliament.
Finland
Hardly any gain for the right-wing populists of Perussuomalaiset („The Finns“): in 2014 they had 12.9% of the votes, this time it was 13.8%.
Slovakia
The far-right L’SNS (Kotleba – Ľudová strana Naše Slovensko) is the third strongest force in Slovakia with 12.1% of the votes.
Slovenia
In Slovenia, the right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenian Slovenska demokratska stranka, abbreviation SDS) won the European elections on Sunday. It won in alliance with the smaller right-wing party SLS (Slovenian People’s Party, Slovenian Slovenska Ljudska Stranka, SLS) 26.4% of the votes and thus receives three out of eight Slovenian seats in the European Parliament. The SDS is already sitting in the European Parliament and belonged to the group of conservative EPP party. Its leader Jansa is a close friend of Victor Orbán.
The right-wing populist and nationalist Slovenian National Party (Slovenian Slovenska nacionalna stranka, SNS) receives 4% of the votes.
Belgium
In Belgium, the far-right separatist party Vlaams Belang received the second most votes (11.5%). The strongest party was Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliatje (13.5%), a separatist and nationalist-conservative party that demands the independence of Flanders from Belgium.
Germany
The right-wing populist AfD has gained, but not to the degree that its leaders had dreamed of: It got 11% of the votes (2014: 7.1%), There had been prognosisses before the election of around 20 %.
For the German right-wing extremist parties, there is no room in the new European Parliament: the NPD got 0.3% (2014: 1.0%), thus is losing its only seat in the European Parliament; „The Right“ got 0.1% of the vote, the „Third Way“ 0.0% and Bernd Luckes „Liberal-Conservative Reformers (LKR)“ 0.1%, so Lucke is no longer sitting in the European Parliament.
Netherlands
The EU-hostile and nationalist-conservative party „Forum voor Democratie“ by Thierry Baudet came to 10.9% of the votes. It gets 3 mandates. The party did not exist in 2014.
Geert Wilders‘ Islamophobic „Partij voor de Vrijheid“ received 3.5% of the vote. She has had 4 seats in the EU Parliament so far – now it’s not even enough votes for one.
Denmark
The right-wing populist Dansk Folkeparti only scores 10.7% of the votes – at the last EU election in 2014, they were still the strongest force with 26.6% of the votes. So it has a maximum of 2 seats in the EU Parliament (previously 4).
Luxembourg
The „Alternative Demokratesch reform party“, ADR for short, a conservative, Catholic-fundamentalist and right-wing populist political party in Luxembourg, won 10% of the votes.
Czech Republic
In the Czech Republic, the racist and right-wing populist party SPD (Svoboda a přímá demokracie = freedom and direct democracy) received 9.1% of the votes and thus won two mandates.
Cyprus
The „National Popular Front“ (Ethniko Laiko Metopo, E.L.A.M. for short) is an ultranationalist movement founded in 2008 in the Republic of Cyprus. It describes its ideology as „popular and social nationalism“ and received 8.3% of the votes.
Bulgaria
The nationalist party „IMRO – Bulgarian National Movement“ (Bulgarian WMRO – Balgarsko nazionalno dwischenie, nationalist-populist and Christian Orthodox Party), which also co-legislates in Parliament, gets to 7.2% of the votes and thus moves into the European Parliament.
Spain
The far-right party „Vox“, recently elected to the Spanish parliament, received 6% of the votes.
Greece
The right-wing extremists of the „Golden Dawn“ (Chrysi Avgi) are losing voters, reaching only 4.9% of the votes. However, there is a new nationalist right-wing populist party, the „Greek solution“ (Elliniki Lisi, short EL). It scored 4.1% of the votes.
Croatia
The Croatian right-wing extremist party Hrvatska stranka prava (Croatian Right Party), HSP for short, received 4.4% of the votes.
Lithuania
The right-wing populist party „Tvarka ir teisingumas“ (short: TT, German: „Order and justice“ received 2.7% of the votes.
Estonia
The Estonian right-wing independence party (Estonian Eesti Iseseisvuspartei – EIP) played no role in the EU election.
Romania
The far-right „Great Rumanian Party“ (Partidul România Mare, PRM) played no role in the EU election.
Portugal
The right-wing extremist Partido Nacional Renovador (PNR, German National Renewal Party) played no role in the 2019 European elections.
Malta
Malta’s extreme right-wing mini-party „Imperium Europa“ as well as the EU-skeptical „Libertas Malta“ are not sitting in the European Parliament.
Ireland
No right-wing populist or far-right party in the European Parliament.
