Pro-Europe vote fragments but limits nationalist gains in EU election

By Alissa de Carbonnel and Foo Yun Chee

 

Exit poll results are displayed on a screen at the Plenary Hall during the election night for European elections at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, May 26, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Parties committed to strengthening the European Union held on to two-thirds of seats in the EU parliament, official projections from the bloc's elections showed on Sunday, though far-right and nationalist opponents saw strong gains.

 

France's Emmanuel Macron, who has staked his presidency on persuading Europeans that the EU is the answer to the challenges of an uncertain, globalising world economy, took a personal hit when his centrist movement was edged into second place by Marine Le Pen's anti-immigration, anti-Brussels National Rally.

 

But Macron's Renaissance, built on the ruins of centre-left and centre-right parties, added to gains for liberals at the EU level. Along with a surge for the Greens, that meant four groups occupying the pro-EU middle ground lost under 20 seats, securing 505 seats out of 751, according to a projection by the European Parliament.

 

That may complicate some policymaking, as a two-party "grand coalition" of the conservative European People's Party (EPP) and the Socialists (S&D) no longer has a majority. The liberals, with 100 seats, and Greens, with 70, will want a big say.

 

But it also dents the hopes of Le Pen, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and others who have been seeking to disrupt attempts to forge closer EU integration.

 

Tensions among nationalists, who also include the Polish and Hungarian ruling parties and the new Brexit Party of British campaigner Nigel Farage, have limited their impact on policy.

 

"The big thing is that the gains for the extremists were not very substantial," said Guntram Wolff, head of the Bruegel economics think-tank in Brussels.

Luxembourg's liberal Prime Minister Xavier Bettel tweeted: "Europe wins! Voter turnout very high and pro-European parties are strongest."

 

TURNOUT REVERSES FALLING TREND

EU officials were delighted by an increase in turnout to 51%, up from 43% in 2014. It was the first reverse in a trend of falling participation since the first direct EU vote in 1979.

 

At its highest in 20 years, that turnout may muffle talk of a "democratic deficit" undermining the legitimacy of EU lawmaking.

 

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives lost seven percentage points from five years ago as the far-right Alternative for Germany gained four points to 11%. But the headlines there went to the Greens, who nearly doubled their vote to finish second on 21%, ahead of the Social Democrats.

 

Britain voted on Thursday but began releasing partial results only late on Sunday. The BBC said Farage's Brexit Party was set for a big win, reflecting frustration at the fact Britain is still in the EU, two months after Brexit was supposed to happen.

 

Farage is determined that his MEPs will not sit for long in Brussels - though drama after the resignation of Prime Minister Theresa May leaves the fate of Brexit still very uncertain.

 

In France, an official in Macron's team acknowledged "some disappointment" that, with some 22%, the president's Renaissance movement had lost first place to Le Pen's National Rally, which exit polls put on 24%. However, pro-EU parties were still in the majority, with the French Greens coming third.

 

Added to the dazzling second place of their German counterparts, that lent credibility to expectations of a "green wave" that will influence policy in Brussels in the coming years --promoting controls on industrial polluters of the air, seas and land and tightening terms for EU trade deals with others.

 

The Parliament's projection put the EPP on 178 seats, ahead of the S&D on 152, with the liberals on 108, up 39 seats, and Greens on 67, up 15. On the far-right, two groups in the current parliament had a combined 108 seats, a 40% gain from 2014.

 

The European Parliament election will usher in weeks and possibly months of hard bargaining over who will run EU institutions. Party spokespeople for the four pro-EU centre parties were quick to talk of plans for a broad coalition.

 

The Parliament as an institution has insisted that one of its own winning members should succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the executive European Commission. But many national leaders, who will meet over dinner in Brussels on Tuesday, have said they will not be bound by that demand.

 

(Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Frances Kerry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-05-27

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Brexit Party everywhere except Scotland and NI. Even 2/8 in London. CON & LAB squeaky bum time. UKIP toast.

A great night for Farage and the new Brexit party, maybe he can reproduce this success in a general election and lead us out of the European swamp.

UKIP nowhere. Gerard Batten has gone.

More people than before went to vote. Green and pro-EU parties gained, the neo-nazis not so much. Less than a third of the UK electorate supports Brexit (or at least a hard one). 

 

All that is good news. Despite the usual bad news (Le Pen, Salvini, Orban) it was a good EU election. With more greens and liberals in the EU Parliament, I hope there will be reforming of the EU, while it should be possible to ignore the noise of the neo-nazis. 

 

 

Edited May 27, 20197 yr by welovesundaysatspace

2 minutes ago, nauseus said:

UKIP nowhere. Gerard Batten has gone.

So has the racist Tommy Robinson.

Just now, Chomper Higgot said:

So has the racist Tommy Robinson.

Well he wasn't there to start with.

40 minutes ago, nauseus said:

Brexit Party everywhere except Scotland and NI. Even 2/8 in London. CON & LAB squeaky bum time. UKIP toast.

Farage has done well.

 

The Tory attempt to prevent a schism in their party by offering a Brexit referendum has gone full circle and bitten them in the ass.

 

Time now for Labour to get off the Brexit bus and fight this right wing madness.

 

Turn out 37%

 

Let’s have non of this ‘will of the people’ nonsense.

 

 

6 minutes ago, nauseus said:

Well he wasn't there to start with.

 Odd that:

 

https://apple.news/A1WvuTaBDS_qFQywX9tWmmA

22 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

More people than before went to vote. Green and pro-EU parties gained, the neo-nazis not so much. Less than a third of the UK electorate supports Brexit (or at least a hard one). 

 

All that is good news. Despite the usual bad news (Le Pen, Salvini, Orban) it was a good EU election. With more greens and liberals in the EU Parliament, I hope there will be reforming of the EU, while it should be possible to ignore the noise of the neo-nazis. 

 

 

Brexit and UKIP (Hard Brexit) over 35%

 

LibDem and Green (Remain) under 30%

 

Labour and conservative (split) 23%

 

1 hour ago, nauseus said:

Brexit Party everywhere except Scotland and NI. Even 2/8 in London. CON & LAB squeaky bum time. UKIP toast.

Give it a couple of hours, and the usual suspects will be on here explaining why the result means nothing: because of lies, racism, too old, bigotted - you know the score!

????

33 minutes ago, nauseus said:

UKIP nowhere. Gerard Batten has gone.

..... as well as his Independent sidekick Lennon given the middle finger. 

9 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Brexit and UKIP (Hard Brexit) over 35%

 

LibDem and Green (Remain) under 30%

 

Labour and conservative (split) 23%

 

And why exactly would you ignore CHUK and SNP?

33 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

So has the racist Tommy Robinson.

I wonder if he’s been shaken by the result. 

2 minutes ago, JAG said:

Give it a couple of hours, and the usual suspects will be on here explaining why the result means nothing: because of lies, racism, too old, bigotted - you know the score!

????

The result confirms what we already knew: The majority, even if only a slight majority, wants to remain. There is no majority for a hard Brexit. It’ll have to go back to the people. Corbyn is already starting to realize that. 

37 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

More people than before went to vote. Green and pro-EU parties gained, the neo-nazis not so much. Less than a third of the UK electorate supports Brexit (or at least a hard one). 

 

All that is good news. Despite the usual bad news (Le Pen, Salvini, Orban) it was a good EU election. With more greens and liberals in the EU Parliament, I hope there will be reforming of the EU, while it should be possible to ignore the noise of the neo-nazis. 

 

 

As a European guy, I am satisfied , also with the greens vote ; let's not speak of Britain vote, they don't count because they leave EU soon 

39 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

More people than before went to vote. Green and pro-EU parties gained, the neo-nazis not so much. Less than a third of the UK electorate supports Brexit (or at least a hard one). 

 

All that is good news. Despite the usual bad news (Le Pen, Salvini, Orban) it was a good EU election. With more greens and liberals in the EU Parliament, I hope there will be reforming of the EU, while it should be possible to ignore the noise of the neo-nazis. 

 

 

I'm German (by passport), and I'm afraid the Green Party will cause a serious generation conflict in Europe. With the young ones yelling "You old farts live on our expense" 

The Green Party in Germany occasionally comes up with the idea of granting a Universal Basic Income to all Germans to avoid such conflicts. Looks good at first sight, but none of the Greens ever came up with a practic idea how to finance such a UBI. 

11 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

I wonder if he’s been shaken by the result. 

If he has, he’ll post a video of him shaking and claim he’s tge victim of an ‘off camera’ attacker.

4 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Brexit and UKIP (Hard Brexit) over 35%

 

LibDem and Green (Remain) under 30%

 

Labour and conservative (split) 23%

 

There are around 47 million eligible voters in the UK this time around. The UK EU elections had an overall turnout, according to the BBC,  just below 37%. Of those the Brexit Company Ltd together with UKIP  followers got 35 % , again according to the BBC.    That equates to 6 million of eligible voters voting for the Brexit dream or 12.7% of eligible voters

 

Now during the 2016 EU referendum around 17,400,000 voted for the Brexit dream based on a turnout of 72% of a 46,500,000 eligible voters (ref https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Results_of_the_2016_United_Kingdom_European_Union_membership_referendum ) or in other words 37.4 % of eligible voters

 

Therefore, and no matter how Brexiteers wish to spin the story to attempt to avoid facts,  the real facts are that in 2016 37.4 % of the UK's eligible voters wanted to leave the EU whereas at these last EU polls only 12.7% of the eligible voters voted for the predominately leaving parties of the Brexit Company Ltd + UKIP.

 

That should provide very damning evidence that the tide has turned in the UK as a whole, not towards the Tories or Labour I must add, but turned in general against not leaving the EU. I would think that another General Election is imminent and the Tory party , split by the Brexit loonies will surely loose and if Labour wants any chance of winning they must formally declare that if elected they will give the UK people a second referendum but above all ditch that fool Corbyn or they will be relegated, like the Tories, to a party of political "has beens" IMHO.

There you have it another loser who does t respect results when they go against what he want! Bezoz!


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51 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

More people than before went to vote. Green and pro-EU parties gained, the neo-nazis not so much. Less than a third of the UK electorate supports Brexit (or at least a hard one). 

 

All that is good news. Despite the usual bad news (Le Pen, Salvini, Orban) it was a good EU election. With more greens and liberals in the EU Parliament, I hope there will be reforming of the EU, while it should be possible to ignore the noise of the neo-nazis. 

 

 

Do stop being silly by suggesting that Neo-Nazis participated in the election .

Yes, I know that you were just trying to be witty and clever .

There are also Conservative and Labour M.P.s who also support Brexit , so a vote for them cannot be seen as anti-Brexit

4 minutes ago, geoffbezoz said:

There are around 47 million eligible voters in the UK this time around. The UK EU elections had an overall turnout, according to the BBC,  just below 37%. Of those the Brexit Company Ltd together with UKIP  followers got 35 % , again according to the BBC.    That equates to 6 million of eligible voters voting for the Brexit dream or 12.7% of eligible voters

 

Now during the 2016 EU referendum around 17,400,000 voted for the Brexit dream based on a turnout of 72% of a 46,500,000 eligible voters (ref https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Results_of_the_2016_United_Kingdom_European_Union_membership_referendum ) or in other words 37.4 % of eligible voters

 

Therefore, and no matter how Brexiteers wish to spin the story to attempt to avoid facts,  the real facts are that in 2016 37.4 % of the UK's eligible voters wanted to leave the EU whereas at these last EU polls only 12.7% of the eligible voters voted for the predominately leaving parties of the Brexit Company Ltd + UKIP.

 

That should provide very damning evidence that the tide has turned in the UK as a whole, not towards the Tories or Labour I must add, but turned in general against not leaving the EU. I would think that another General Election is imminent and the Tory party , split by the Brexit loonies will surely loose and if Labour wants any chance of winning they must formally declare that if elected they will give the UK people a second referendum but above all ditch that fool Corbyn or they will be relegated, like the Tories, to a party of political "has beens" IMHO.

You started going wrong in the first paragraph. 

Just now, sanemax said:

Do stop being silly by suggesting that Neo-Nazis participated in the election .

Why should I?

 

Just now, sanemax said:

Yes, I know that you were just trying to be witty and clever .

Just stating facts. 

 

Just now, sanemax said:

There are also Conservative and Labour M.P.s who also support Brexit , so a vote for them cannot be seen as anti-Brexit

Why didn’t they vote Brexit then? 

Corbyn: 

 

"With the Conservatives disintegrating and unable to govern, and parliament deadlocked, this issue will have to go back to the people, whether through a general election or a public vote."

 

I guess Brexiteers really hoped this to turn out differently. No majority again. 

6 minutes ago, geoffbezoz said:

There are around 47 million eligible voters in the UK this time around. The UK EU elections had an overall turnout, according to the BBC,  just below 37%. Of those the Brexit Company Ltd together with UKIP  followers got 35 % , again according to the BBC.    That equates to 6 million of eligible voters voting for the Brexit dream or 12.7% of eligible voters

 

Now during the 2016 EU referendum around 17,400,000 voted for the Brexit dream based on a turnout of 72% of a 46,500,000 eligible voters (ref https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Results_of_the_2016_United_Kingdom_European_Union_membership_referendum ) or in other words 37.4 % of eligible voters

 

Therefore, and no matter how Brexiteers wish to spin the story to attempt to avoid facts,  the real facts are that in 2016 37.4 % of the UK's eligible voters wanted to leave the EU whereas at these last EU polls only 12.7% of the eligible voters voted for the predominately leaving parties of the Brexit Company Ltd + UKIP.

 

That should provide very damning evidence that the tide has turned in the UK as a whole, not towards the Tories or Labour I must add, but turned in general against not leaving the EU. I would think that another General Election is imminent and the Tory party , split by the Brexit loonies will surely loose and if Labour wants any chance of winning they must formally declare that if elected they will give the UK people a second referendum but above all ditch that fool Corbyn or they will be relegated, like the Tories, to a party of political "has beens" IMHO.

Yes, but these were E.U elections , this wasnt a second referendum .

Two different things 

2 minutes ago, nauseus said:

You started going wrong in the first paragraph. 

Facts baffle you do they ? or you would prefer to see it in a more simple pictorial form ?

Just now, welovesundaysatspace said:

Why should I?

 

Just stating facts. 

 

Why didn’t they vote Brexit then? 

There were no Neo Nazis standing in the UK E.U. election .

If a Conservative/Labour/Brexit/politician all want to leave the E.U. , take your pick about which one you want to win , the vote was for individual politicians , rather than a particular party

1 minute ago, sanemax said:

Yes, but these were E.U elections , this wasnt a second referendum .

Two different things 

So are you disputing the facts I stated ? I think anybody with common sense understand that this was not a second referendum. Nor was it a General Election or the re running of the Epsom Derby !!   It was simple based on the the UK voters placing their votes.  But facts are still facts are they not supporting what I said earlier " no matter how Brexiteers wish to spin the story to attempt to avoid facts "

4 minutes ago, geoffbezoz said:

Facts baffle you do they ? or you would prefer to see it in a more simple pictorial form ?

Facts? Funny. 

3 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Yes, but these were E.U elections , this wasnt a second referendum .

Two different things 

Haha, of course the usual suspects would show up who some days ago told us this would be a proxy for a second referendum with their messiah Nigel Farage winning it, and now as he’s also failing to deliver a majority for leave it’s just “EU elections”. You can’t make this stuff up.