Right's gains in EU elections spark shake-up

The European Parliament elections that ended on Sunday resulted in a dramatic turn to the right in several major economies in the European Union, though the bloc's centrists retained their majority.

A major defeat of French President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party by the far-right National Rally has led to Macron's announcement on Sunday night to dissolve the National Assembly and hold early legislative elections on June 30, with a second round on July 7.

Marine Le Pen's National Rally party won 31.4 percent of the vote, more than double the support for Macron's party.

In his address to the country, Macron said he could not ignore the warning from voters.

"This is an essential time for clarification," he said. "I have heard your message, your concerns and I will not leave them unanswered."

In a message on X on Monday, Macron said he is confident "in the capacity of the French people to make the right choice for themselves and for future generations". "My sole ambition is to be useful to our country that I love so much," he said.

Le Pen, Macron's archrival in the past two presidential elections, has her eyes on the upcoming French government already. If National Rally wins the upcoming legislative elections, its president, Jordan Bardella, is likely to become the premier.

"We are ready to take power if the French people have confidence in us in these forthcoming legislative elections," she said after Sunday's victory. "We are ready to put the country back on its feet."

In Belgium, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced his resignation on Sunday after his Flemish Liberals and Democrats party was defeated by right-wing parties.

And in Germany, the three parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government suffered humiliation after the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, made gains on Sunday.

Scholz's Social Democrats won 13.9 percent, less than the 15.8 percent it received in the 2019 election, while AfD won 15.9 percent, compared with 11 percent in 2019.

The Greens and the Free Democrats, two other parties in the coalition, captured only 11.9 percent and 5.2 percent of the vote respectively.

"Profound political challenges obviously lie ahead in the two largest EU member states," Carl Bildt, co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations and former Swedish prime minister, posted on X, with two maps showing Le Pen's ascendancy in France and AfD's dominance in much of former East Germany.

Right and far-right parties also surged in Spain, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands.

Potential kingmaker

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy won 28 percent of the vote, while the center-left Democratic Party secured 23.7 percent. The Italian populist leader is now widely regarded as kingmaker in the next European Parliament.

Meanwhile, the centrist majority in the European Parliament remains, with the center-right European People's Party scoring top place.

"We won the European elections," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a member of the EPP, said on Sunday night. "We are by far the strongest party. We are the anchor of stability."

Provisional results from the parliament after all polls closed showed EPP with 189 of the 720 seats in the European Parliament, the center-left Socialists and Democrats with 135, and the liberal Renew Europe grouping with 83, Reuters reported.

"We will build a bastion against the extremes from the left and from the right," von der Leyen said. While she is likely to secure a second term, the situation is complicated with the French snap election to be held only two days after the EU summit on June 28, when leaders of EU member states would appoint the next European Commission president.

"Given how much she's vilified in France, it's hard to see how (Macron) can sign off on her reappointment two days before the French election," Dave Keating, a journalist and commentator on EU affairs, said on X.