European Parliament elections from A to Z: Who are the winners and losers?

Following the conclusion of the European Parliament (EP) elections, the rise of the far-right in many European Union (EU) member states became the most striking element of the election.

According to a report compiled by Euronews' Cynthia Kroet and Jack Schickler, as the European election marathon ended as of Sunday night, it began to become clear who the winners and losers were across the 27 EU members.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni solidified her key role in Brussels by securing an estimated 28% of the vote, while in France, President Emmanuel Macron performed so poorly that he was forced to call for snap elections.

Winners:

Far-right Marine Le Pen's National Rally (RN) party in France. It secured 31% of the vote, triggering snap elections in the country.

The center-right European People's Party (EPP). It remains the largest group in Parliament and gained 13 seats compared to 2019.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy (FdI) party in Italy. It secured first place with a vote share in the 26-30% range.

Losers:

The Greens. They performed much worse than expected in Austria and Germany.

Renew Europe (RE), which has a center-right tendency in different member states. It lost 20 seats in the EP compared to 2019.

Social Democrats in Germany. Chancellor Olaf Scholz's party shared second place with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) after the EPP.

INITIAL ESTIMATE

According to the first estimates on election results made by the EP, the Greens and the liberal RE Group lost approximately 20 deputies, causing the pro-European parliamentary majority necessary to support high-level officials and EU laws to be jeopardized.

According to the results announced immediately after all polls closed and just past midnight, the Green party will drop from the 72 deputies it held in March 2024 to 53 deputies.

RE, led by Macron, dropped from 102 seats to 83, leading the French President to dissolve the national assembly in a surprising move.

This collapse is accompanied by increasing support for far-right parties.

According to estimates in France, the far-right National Rally (RN) party won 31.5% of the vote, more than double the vote share obtained by Macron.

Macron said, "France needs a clear majority to be able to act in serenity and harmony. I have heard your message and your concerns, and I will not leave them unanswered."

According to EP estimates, the far-right FPÖ in Austria is also expected to double its number of deputies to six, receiving 25.7% of the vote.

In Germany, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) parties are estimated to receive just over 30% of the vote, similar to their 29% vote share in 2019. According to the latest estimates, the far-right AfD increased its vote share from 11% in 2019 to 14.2%, placing it just behind Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats.

Exit polls show that Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, performed much better than the center-left Democratic Party opposition, which is estimated at 23.7%.

The other two parties in Meloni's government coalition, Forza Italia and Lega, have vote shares of 10.5% and 8% respectively, and do not appear to be in as good a position as FdI.

According to polls, these right-wing trends confirm the situation in Spain, where Vox is expected to increase its representation by two or three deputies, and the new right-wing formation also described as far-right populist, Se Acabó La Fiesta ("The Party is Over"), will elect two or three deputies for the first time.

After four days of voting, estimates for the new parliament are still not finalized.

WILDERS' PARTY WINS 6 SEATS

In the Netherlands, voting took place on Thursday, and the latest estimates show that Geert Wilders' far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) will win six seats.

This fluctuation was not as extreme as some expected, and according to exit polls, it allowed the PvdA/GroenLinks alliance, which is estimated to win eight seats in the EP, to achieve victory.

These elections, the world's largest multi-state democratic exercise, determine which of the 720 members of the EP will negotiate EU legislation for the next five years.

The elections took place after a turbulent period dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Not to mention the rising cost of living, which is at the top of voters' concerns.

FIRST TASKS OF NEW EP MEMBERS

Among the first tasks of the EP members will be to approve the candidate to lead the European Commission, where incumbent President Ursula von der Leyen hopes to secure a second term.

No party has a majority in the European Parliament, and votes are usually decided on a case-by-case basis by finding a coalition with the necessary majority.

Throughout its history, the EP has always been dominated by two major groups: the center-right European People's Party and the center-left Socialists.

These two groups lost their combined majority in the 2019 elections and have since had to form informal alliances with parties such as the Greens and Liberals. Estimates show that it is unlikely they will regain it with alliances in 2024.

EP deputies will also have the right to amend or oppose new legislative proposals. This will determine the fate of the EU Green Deal, a set of ambitious laws aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

While a certain number of EP members are allocated to each country according to its population, this number is 96 for Germany, while it is only six for Cyprus, Malta, and Luxembourg.

WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES OF TURKISH ORIGIN?

In the European Parliament elections that began as of June 6, many candidates of Turkish origin from various parties in several European Union (EU) member states are competing to take office in Brussels.

The European Parliament (EP) elections, which will determine the European Union's administration for the next five years, are nearing their end. Candidates of Turkish origin are also among the politicians expected to serve in the European Parliament.

In the 2019 EP elections, at least 5 candidates of Turkish origin won the critical race and earned the right to serve as parliamentarians in the EP.

In these elections held five years later, it is estimated that many of the politicians of Turkish origin elected from Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Bulgaria will retain their seats and continue their duties in Brussels.

GERMANY

Two names currently serving in parliament stand out in the EP elections in Germany.

It is predicted that there is a very high probability that Özlem Alev Demirel-Böhlke, who was re-nominated by The Left (Die Linke), and Engin Eroğlu, who was re-nominated by the Free Voters (Freie Waehler) party, will continue their duties in Brussels.

Born in Malatya and having migrated to Germany with her family at the age of five, Demirel-Böhlke, who is of Kurdish descent, was nominated as the lead candidate for The Left in the 2019 EP elections and has been serving as a parliamentarian since then.

Engin Eroğlu was elected to parliament as the second-place candidate of the Free Voters Party in the previous parliamentary elections.

The participation of parties recently founded by people of Turkish origin in the EP elections is also on Europe's agenda.

In Germany, Fatih Zingal is participating in the elections as the first-place candidate from the Democratic Alliance for Diversity and Awakening (DAVA) party, which is criticized for being close to the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which has been in power in Turkey for 22 years. Haluk Yıldız, Chairman of the Innovation and Justice Party (BIG), the first party founded under the leadership of people of Turkish origin, is competing as a first-place candidate.

CYPRUS

Three names stand out in the elections held in Cyprus. European Parliament Member and AKEL party nominee Niyazi Kızılyürek, Volt Cyprus Party nominee Hulusi Kilim, and Environmentalists' Movement (Cyprus Green Party) nominee Oz Karahan are competing in the EP parliamentary elections.

With his election victory in 2019, Niyazi Kızılyürek holds the distinction of being the first Turkish Cypriot to be entitled to enter the European Parliament.

DENMARK

4 candidates from Denmark took their place in the EP race.

Taner Genç, who comes from a family from Ankara and is known to be of Kurdish descent, is running as a candidate from the Socialist People's Party (Socialistisk Folkeparti); Yurdal Çiçek, who settled in the Danish city of Næstved in 2002, from the Green (Alternativet) Party; İbrahim Benli, who was also born in Ankara and is of Kurdish descent, from the Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten); and young politician Hediye Temiz, who was born in Konya as the child of a Kurdish family, from the Social Liberal Party (Radikale Venstre).

BELGIUM

Yılmaz Kurtal from the socialist Vooruit Party in the Flemish Region is the first Turkish politician to be nominated from the top ranks in Belgium by being placed in the third spot.

At the same time, Gümüş Helin from the Workers' Party (PVDA), Mustafa Uzun from the Christian Democratic and Flemish Party (CD&V), and Duygu Çelik (PS) from the Socialist Party in the Walloon Region are also competing as candidates.

NETHERLANDS

Ufuk Kahya, who is in 8th place on the joint list of the Labour Party and Green Left (PvdA/GroenLinks) party, and Sinan Özkaya, who is in 12th place from the same party, Melih Uzun, who is a candidate from the 16th spot of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, Meltem Okçu, who is in 8th place in the Socialist Party (SP), and Emin Başoğlu, who is in 13th place, and Reyhan Çiğdem, who is in 12th place of the VOLTS Party, are participating in the parliamentary elections.

The Denk Party, whose members are mostly Turkish and immigrants, is not participating in the EP elections this year.

FRANCE

There are 12 Turkish candidates in the parliamentary elections in France, but their chances are low because they are placed far down on the party lists.

Two of these candidates are Gülşen Yıldırım, who is in 26th place in the Socialist Party, and Zerrin Bataray, who is in 63rd place from the Greens. Although these parties have a high probability of passing the threshold, it is seen as difficult for these two candidates to be elected due to their low ranking.

SWEDEN

In Sweden, which has 21 seats in the European Parliament, Evin İncir, who is of Kurdish descent and born in Diyarbakır, is running again from the Swedish Social Democratic Party, while Nuance Party Chairman Mikail Yüksel is also participating.

Approximately 360 million European Union (EU) citizens went to the polls as of Sunday morning to elect 720 members of the European Parliament in the world's largest international election.

On the fourth and final day of the election, voting will take place in 21 countries, and Italy will be the last country to close its polls at 23:00 CET (00:00 Turkish time).

Euronews will bring you all the breaking news and the latest updates on the elections. The first national estimates based on exit polls are expected to be made as of 18:15 CET (19:15 Turkish time).

Public opinion polls predict that radical right-wing parties will achieve historic gains. Such a result carries the potential to shift the balance of power in the EU's only institution governed by democratically elected deputies and provide far-right forces with more influence over EU policies than ever before. However, who will head the European institutions in Brussels, including the European Commission and the European Council, will also become clear with these elections.