European Elections 2019: Winners, losers and the shrinking centre
Comments
Estimations predict the CDU-CSU (Christian Democratic Union of Germany) will hold the most seats for a single party in the European Parliament.
With a voter turnout a record high of nearly 51%, the European Elections have shown the divergence of political alliances in Europe.
Nationalist parties such as the UK's Brexit Party and the Italian Northern League are predicted to achieve big gains in this election while their counterparts on the left are also growing.
Parties such as the Greens in Germany and the Socialists in Spain for example, are estimated to take 21 and 20 seats respectively.
Meanwhile, some of Europe's major parties are predicted to undergo acute losses.
Combined, the two primary parties in the UK, Labour and Conservatives, only managed to garner a combined 23% of votes.
CDU, the current ruling party in Germany are down by 7% of votes, however are still predicted to hold the most seats in the European Parliament.
With right-wing populism on the rise in Italy, the centre-left Democratic Party have lost almost half of their votes.
The EPP and S&D, Europe's largest traditional groups have both lost around 20% of their seats.
The traditional centrist stance of the European Union has been shaken. The far-right anti-immigration group ENF has risen its foundation in 2015 to win 58 seats this year. Eurosceptics will also have a significant holding in the incoming parliament with Farage's EFDD predicted to win 56 seats.
On the other hand, the left-leaning Greens have also won large gains. In the wake of a potentially chronic environmental crisis, the Greens are predicted to hold 70 seats in the European Parliament.
Abbreviations of largest parties explained:
CDU-CSU: (Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union) Centre-right German party led by Chancellor Angela Merkel
SPD: (Social Democratic Party of Germany) Centre-left major contemporary German party led by Andrea Nahles.
Grüne: (Green) Centre-left German environmentalist party
Brexit-Party: Established in January 2019, the Brexit-Party was founded by Eurosceptic Nigel Farage
Labour UK: Centre-left party in the UK led by Jeremy Corbyn
Conservatives UK: Centre-Right UK party led by Prime Minister Theresa May
Lib Dems (Liberal Democrats): Liberal UK party who are advocating for a second Brexit referendum
LN: (Lega Nord/Northern League) Right-wing Italian party led by Deputy Prime-Minister Matteo Salvini
PD: (Democratic Party) Centre-left Italian party led by recently elected Nicola Zingaretti
RN: (National Rally) Right-wing party in France led by Jordan Bardella
Coalition Renaissance: French coalition of Macron's centrist En Marche!, centrist MoDem, and social-liberal party MRSL
PSOE/PC: (Spanish Socialist Worker's Party) Left-wing worker's party led by Pedro Sánchez
PiS: (Law and Justice Party) Ruling right-wing party in Poland led by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki
Coalition Koalicja Europejska: (European Coalition) Polish political alliance made up of the Civil Platform, Polish Peasant Party, Democratic Left Alliance, Modern, and the Green Party.