Far right surges in European Parliament elections but center still holds

Far-right parties are predicted to win a record number of seats in the European parliament, a result that, if confirmed, would deliver a stinging rebuke to Brussels’ political mainstream and add uncertainty to Europe’s future direction.

Far-right parties are predicted to win a record number of seats in the European Parliament, a result that, if confirmed, would deliver a stinging rebuke to Brussels’ political mainstream and add uncertainty to Europe’s future direction. After three days of voting across the European Union’s 27 member states, an exit poll showed that far-right parties were set to win around 150 of the parliament’s 720 seats, which will likely make it harder for mainstream parties to form majorities needed to pass laws. In a speech late Sunday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the results showed her European People’s Party (EPP) – predicted to secure the most seats – could still act as an “anchor of stability,” but called on her political allies to help guard against extremist parties. “The center is holding. But it is also true that the extremes on the left and on the right have gained support, and this is why the result comes with great responsibility for the parties in the center,” she told an audience in Brussels. The full results will trickle in on Monday, when the process of coalition-building will begin as Europe’s centrists seek to put aside their differences to see off a resurgent far right. Most of the far-right gains were concentrated in countries that elect large numbers of seats: France, Italy and Germany.