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Election season in Europe: France, Germany and Austria leaders brace for high-stake changes

While Macron and Merkel are set to endure losses, Kurz's party was projected to make sweeping gains in the European elections

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France: France Macron fails to defeat far-Right as Le Pen edges ahead

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and his wife Brigitte Macron leave after voting in the European elections in Le Touquet, northern France, Sunday May 26, 2019.
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and his wife Brigitte Macron leave after voting in the European elections in Le Touquet, northern France, Sunday May 26, 2019. Photo by Ludovic Marin /ASSOCIATED PRESS

France Macron fails to defeat far-Right as Le Pen edges ahead Emmanuel Macron looked to have lost his high-stakes duel with far-Right leader Marine Le Pen, early results suggest, in a blow to the French president’s national and EU ambitions.

Voting in France turned into a re-run of the battle that saw the 41-year-old centrist win the presidency against Ms Le Pen in 2017. In a high-risk strategy, Mr Macron pledged to put every effort into beating the far-Right. Early estimates suggested his En Marche party would get 21.9 per cent while the National Rally of Ms Le Pen was on course to win 23.2 per cent.

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Another surprise came with higher-than-expected votes for the EELV, the Green party, which was in third place on 12.7 per cent. The collapse of mainstream Right and Left-wing parties was no surprise, given that they have been in tatters since Mr Macron’s 2017 victory. The Republicans party was heading for 8.3 per cent – far lower than the polls predicted, which had it placed third. The Socialist Party of former president Francois Hollande was on 7 per cent.

French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) President and member of Parliament Marine Le Pen delivers a speech after the announcement of initial results during an RN election-night event for European parliamentary elections on May 26, 2019, at La Palmeraie venue in Paris.
French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) President and member of Parliament Marine Le Pen delivers a speech after the announcement of initial results during an RN election-night event for European parliamentary elections on May 26, 2019, at La Palmeraie venue in Paris. Photo by Bertrand GUAY / AFP

Another surprise was turnout, estimated at 54 per cent  —way above the 35 per cent of 2014. Ms Le Pen said: “I see this as a victory for the people, who with pride and dignity have taken back power.” She said Mr Macron’s defeat was “political and personal” and claimed he had no choice but to dissolve parliament – a highly unlikely prospect.

Mr Macron’s office said the result was proof that “the presidential majority is holding firm”.

While a blow for Mr Macron, it was not quite the humiliation the polls had suggested. Insiders had predicted a loss of three to four points could force him into a major cabinet reshuffle or even change his prime minister. That now looks unlikely.

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But two years into his five-year term, defeat could hamper his domestic pro-business reforms and his bid to be the champion of greater EU integration.

Germany: ‘Sensational’ result confirms Greens as mainstream party

Chancellor Angela Merkel gives a speech during the last pre-European elections meeting of the European People’s Party (EPP), in Munich, southern Germany, on May 24, 2019.
Chancellor Angela Merkel gives a speech during the last pre-European elections meeting of the European People’s Party (EPP), in Munich, southern Germany, on May 24, 2019. Photo by Christof STACHE /AFP

Angela Merkel’s party and her main coalition partners were braced for heavy losses that could lead to renewed calls for her to step down early as chancellor.

Both parties recorded their worst ever results in a Germany-wide election, according to exit polls by ARD, the state broadcaster.

But the populist right-wing Alternative for Germany party (AfD) appeared to have failed to make major inroads.

Instead, it was the Greens who looked set to be the major victors of the night, cementing their emerging position as a force to be reckoned with in Germany.

Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) were projected to come first with 27.9 per cent of the vote – down almost 9 per cent compared to 2014.

By contrast, the Greens were projected to more than double their vote to 21.8 per cent, coming in second ahead of the mainstream centre-Left Social Democrats (SPD).

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Sven Giegold, background, top candidate of the European Green Party, and Robert Habeck, chairman of the Green Party, arrive for a news conference after the elections for the European Parliament in Berlin, Germany, Monday, May 27, 2019.
Sven Giegold, background, top candidate of the European Green Party, and Robert Habeck, chairman of the Green Party, arrive for a news conference after the elections for the European Parliament in Berlin, Germany, Monday, May 27, 2019. Photo by Matthias Schrader /ASSOCIATED PRESS

The SPD appeared to have suffered a devastating night, winning just 15.8 per cent of the vote – down almost 12 per cent on 2014.

The AfD was projected to come fourth with just 10.6 per cent. Although it would be more than the party won in 2014, such a result would be far short of polls that had the AfD on 18 per cent last year, and would be seen as evidence its vote has peaked.

“This is a bitter result, no question, it is a defeat for us,” Carsten Schneider, a senior SPD politician, said.

He refused to comment on speculation over the future of Andrea Nahles, the SPD leader. “The coalition has to continue, for the sake of stability in Germany,” said Paul Ziemiak, the CDU party chairman.

Meanwhile, the Greens were celebrating as they appear now to be a mainstream party in Germany. “This is a sensational result,” said Michael Kellner, the Green Party chairman, adding that it was “a sign of political change in Germany”.

Austria: Country backs Chancellor Kurz

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (OeVP) adresses the media after voting for the European elections in Vienna, on May 26, 2019.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (OeVP) adresses the media after voting for the European elections in Vienna, on May 26, 2019. Photo by ALEX HALADA / AFP

Sebastian Kurz, the embattled Austrian chancellor, was in line for a welcome boost ahead of a confidence vote in the country’s parliament today (Monday) as his party was projected to make sweeping gains in the European elections.

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His Austrian People’s Party (OVP) appeared to have captured 34.5 per cent of the vote, up 7.5 per cent from 2014, according to initial projections.

The chancellor will seek to claim it as a public endorsement as he fights to remain in power after the dramatic collapse of his coalition with the far-Right Freedom Party (FPO).

Karoline Edtstadler, of the OVP, called it a “landslide victory”. But in an ominous sign for Mr Kurz, the Freedom Party vote appeared to have held up better than expected in the wake of a corruption scandal that forced its former leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, to quit.

Hailed as the future of European conservatism and the man who could tame the populist Right just two years ago, Mr Kurz, 32, could become the first Austrian chancellor to fall to a no-confidence vote today. Yesterday’s European results were the first test of public support ahead of national elections set for September. The gains may not be enough to suggest he could win a majority in parliament, but they could be sufficient to form a coalition.

The centre-Left Social Democrats (SPO) was projected to come second with 23.5 per cent. Austria’s Greens appeared to bounce back with 13.5 per cent, after failing to win any seats in 2017’s national election.

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