Did migration, Gaza propel far-right victory in European elections?
Far-right parties in Europe traditionally support Israel, but their achievements in the elections for the European Parliament do not necessarily mean a change in Middle East policies within the European Union.
Far-right forces, particularly in France and Germany, made significant gains across the continent in Sunday’s elections for the European Parliament. The election campaigns and ensuing results demonstrated the centrality of migration from Middle Eastern and North African countries in European politics, though experts believe the EU's policy toward the region will not shift significantly as a result.
Results
The European Parliament, housed both in Brussels, Belgium, and in Strasbourg, France, is composed of 720 seats divided between the 27 member states of the European Union according to their size. European citizens each vote for candidates to represent their constituency in the European Parliament, and parties from different countries join forces to form political blocs inside the parliament to further their common agendas.
The largest bloc in the outgoing parliament, the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), deepened its hold on the chamber, reaping 184 seats, eight more seats than the last election in 2019. At the same time, however, far-right political blocs made major gains, while the the left-leaning Greens-European Free Alliance bloc won 19 fewer seats than in 2019.
