The results of the European Parliament election brought about significant relative changes in the European political landscape.
In Britain, the Brexit came first party in the European elections. The party won 29 seats out of a total of 73. In second place came the pro-European Liberal Democrats. The two largest British parties, Labour and Conservatives, slipped to third and fourth places in the vote.
The European Parliament election paints a picture of public opinion and attitudes of European citizens in general through the choice of voters for their representatives in the 751-member EP.
Britain took part in the elections after the official exit from the EU was postponed at the end of March. It was therefore unavoidable to take part in these elections as a member of the European bloc.
The results of the British vote cast doubt on the British people’s attitude towards Brexit. Britain has become polarized as a result.
Although the Brexit party won the election, supporters of remaining in the EU also scored well. Division was one of the crucial issues for the vote. Also because of this, the two main parties have lost some clout; they have so far failed to come up with a clear vision that outlines the way forward for the post-Brexit era.
The echoes of Prime Minister Theresa May’s defeat in the Brexit battle have left their mark on the ballot.
May has not been able to establish a convincing plan of action. She has failed to convince members of her (Conservative) party of her exit strategy since the 2016 referendum, nor has she been able to secure alternatives, such as calling another referendum on leaving the Union.
The main reason for her failure was the political campaign that preceded the British referendum. The campaign encouraged British voters to vote for Brexit in order to make gains.
But negotiations with the EU have revealed huge potential losses for Britain, putting Prime Minister May under fire.
The trends observed in the election were not limited to Great Britain. In Italy, France and Poland, the far right and nationalists have made progress.
The elections mirrored the general concern of Europeans about the future and made voters aware of the vitality and sensitivity of controversial issues and political differences in Europe. The turnout in the European elections was the highest in two decades, reaching around 51% of the electorate.
This percentage in itself provides a form of popular immunity to the EU, revealing that European voters still support the Union.
Despite the relative progress of the far right and nationalists, the Socialists, Greens, Liberals and Conservatives won nearly 505 seats (out of 751) in the European Parliament, representing around 500 million European citizens. In other words, the EU remains immune to extreme right-wing nationalist and anti-European tendencies.
Although the average European voter is still pro-Union, the relative change in the European Parliament’s political makeup deserves attention.
The Union’s opposition parties are progressing at varying speeds. Some of them have overtaken central and left-wing parties in countries such as France. The far-right National Front party led by Marine Le Pen has beaten President Macaron’s centre-right coalition. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s German Conservative Party has also lost some of the votes it won five years ago to the far-right AfD party.
