Tens of millions of voters from Vilnius to Madrid were casting ballots Sunday, June 9, on the final day of elections for the EU Parliament. Twenty-one of the bloc's 27 countries, including heavy hitters France and Germany, were voting on the election's biggest day to help shape the European Union's direction over the next five years. More than 360 million people were eligible to vote in total in the four-day election, although turnout in EU polls is historically low.
The election comes as the continent is confronted with Russia's war in Ukraine, global trade tensions marked by US-China rivalry, the climate emergency and potentially adapting to a second Donald Trump presidency. Here are the main takeaways from the vote so far. We will update this page throughout the evening.
Ce cartogramme représente les députées et députés européens élus. Ils sont répartis par pays et par tendance politique.
This map represents the membres of European Parliament. They are divided by country and by political leaning.
It was no surprise that the conservatives (CDU-CSU) came out on top in Germany, the EU country that will have the most MEPs at the end of the elections (96 out of 720). According to the first estimates, published shortly after polls closed at 6 pm by the Infratestdimap institute on the ARD television channel, they are reported to have obtained 29.5% of the vote, 0.6 points more than in 2019.
Also unsurprising in the light of the latest polls, the three parties in Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz's (SPD) coalition are slipping backward. At 14% (down 1.8 points from 2019), the SPD achieved its worst ever result nationwide. The Greens, who won 20.5% of the vote five years ago, are reported to garner just 12%. As for the Liberal Democrats (FDP), they are expected to have won 5% (-0.4).
With 16.5% of the vote, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is up from 2019 (11%), achieving its best result nationwide since its creation in 2013. Its score is, however, lower than that predicted by the polls a few months ago: In mid-February, a survey by the Insa institute credited it with 22% of voting intentions.
From our correspondent in Berlin, Thomas Wieder.
Turnout stood at 45.26% at 5 pm in mainland France, up nearly 2 points from 2019. In 2019, the turnout at 5 pm was 43.29% for mainland France, according to Interior Ministry figures.
Turnout at 1 pm was 33% in Hungary, the highest since the country joined the EU in 2004. This unprecedented turnout can be explained by the simultaneous organization of local elections and a highly tense political atmosphere since Péter Magyar entered politics. The former government official has been denouncing corruption within the entourage of Prime Minister Viktor Orban since February.
Turnout also reached a level never before seen in Slovakia, reaching 34.4% during Saturday's vote. According to local media, publishing unofficial results, the Progressive Slovakia (centrist) party came out on top with almost 28% of the vote, ahead of Prime Minister Robert Fico's national-populist Smer-SD party, which obtained just under 25% of the vote. The neo-fascist Republika party is reported to have come third with 12.5% of the vote, taking two seats.
In Slovenia, turnout was also at a record 11.73% at 11 am, with voters probably attracted by the simultaneous holding of three consultative referendums. In the Czech Republic, where voters cast their ballots on Friday and Saturday, no results have yet been published, but the interior minister also referred to a "record" turnout. In Romania, turnout at 3 pm was also higher than in 2019.
From our regional correspondent, Jean-Baptiste Chastand.