EPP remains on top in new Parliament seat projection despite losses

Parliament’s leading groups EPP and S&D both haemorrhaged seats in Sunday’s European elections, while the Greens/EFA and ALDE were basking in the glow of victory after substantial gains.
Photo Credit: European Parliament Audiovisual

By Rajnish Singh

Rajnish Singh is Political Engagement Manager at Dods

27 May 2019

@RajBrussels

The latest seat projections by the European Parliament will come as good news for the Greens/EFA group.

According to the most recent analysis, the Greens/EFA are expected to win 67 seats, putting them ahead of the ECR and other right-wing Eurosceptic groups such as the ENF and EFDD.

Another predicted winner for tonight will be the ALDE group, which has renamed itself as the ALDE&R Group: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe + Renaissance + USR PLUS.


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They are set to be the third biggest group in Parliament, with 108 seats, up from 69 in 2014.

Of the Eurosceptic parties, ECR is predicted to be the biggest group with 61 seats, followed by the ENF with 55 and EFDD 53.

Parliament has predicted that 33 seats will be won by newly-elected politicians not allied to any of the political groups set up in the outgoing Parliament.

A development welcomed across the political divide was news that voter turnout was 50.5 percent, up 8 percent on the 2014 elections.

"With big both the EPP and S&D expected to haemorrhage seats, speculation has begun as to which of the groups will come together to create a ruling coalition"

S&D Spitzenkandidat Frans Timmermans told reporters that he wanted to create a coalition of progressive parties.

However, even if the S&D, ALDE&R and Greens/EFA group joined together, they would be 49 seats short of the required 376 seats needed to make a majority.

Moreover, even if they were joined by the GUE group, with their 39 seats, they would still only have 366 seats.

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