Despite a rise in anti-European parties, political balances remained
broadly unchanged in the European Parliament following the elections
yesterday (25 May), with the centre-right and centre-left parties on
track for a grand coalition.
The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) won 212 seats in the
European parliament, followed by the Socialists and Democrats (S&D),
with 186 seats (out of 751).
In the last European election, the EPP won 265 seats and the S&D
184. The Parliament was slightly larger at the time, counting a total of
766 seats.
This is the fourth consecutive victory for the EPP since the 1999
election and another disappointment for the Socialists, who failed to
reverse the balance of power in Parliament, despite the popular
resentment over austerity.
The centrist liberal groups could got 70 seats, Green parties 55 and the right-wing Conservatives and Reformist group, 44.
The far-left obtained 43 seats, while the far-right Europe of Freedom and Democracy group got 36.
The big question mark relates to the 38 Non-affiliated MEPs and the
67 “other” MEPs who do not yet belong to any political grouping. Most of
those belong to populist and extremist parties hostile to European
integration.
Source: ΕurActiv.com
Source: ΕurActiv.com
