European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen comments on initial results in European elections, June 9, 2024 (BBC)

I joined Times Radio’s Darryl Morris on Sunday night to assess the initial results of elections to the European Parliament.

Listen from 1:06.49

Alongside Brussels correspondent Nina de Roy dos Santos, I knock back some headlines of a “far right surge” to explain a “patchwork” outcome, varying from country to country across the 27-nation bloc.

The far right made dramatic gains in France and Belgium, prompting early national elections. However, its increase in Germany and the Netherlands was less than expected. The center held in almost all other countries, from Ireland to Spain to Poland to Bulgaria, and in Scandinavia, the left was the winner.

The outcome? The far right will pick up about 15 seats in the 720-member European Parliament. But the center-right European People’s Party, the largest bloc, has similar gains, at the expense of the Green and center-left Renew groups.

So about 65% of MEPs will be from center-right to center-left, with the far right a notable but still limited faction with about 15%.

All eyes will now turn to France, to see if Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National can finally take power in a Presidential contest.

See also Why France’s Far Right Is Attracting The Left’s “Chameleon” Voters