Some ballots in the vote for the European Parliament were still being counted Monday, but the outcome showed the 27-nation bloc's parliament membership has clearly shifted to the right. The gains of the far right came at the expense of the Greens, who were expected to lose about 20 seats and fall back to sixth position in the legislature. “We are by far the strongest party, We are the anchor of stability,” von der Leyen said. Key to the future working of the assembly will be whether the far right unites in a strong enough bloc to challenge the main pro-European groups. Since the last EU election in 2019, populist or far-right parties now lead governments in three nations — Hungary, Slovakia and Italy — and are part of ruling coalitions in others including Sweden, Finland and, soon, the Netherlands.

Source: ABC News June 10, 2024 08:10 UTC