The parties of the political centre retain a clear majority, the parliament may be moving to the right, but it is not tipping. This is good news for EPP lead candidate Ursula von der Leyen – also because two leading politicians now have other concerns.
The evening in Brussels did not have to be particularly long before it was already clear who the big winner of the 2024 European elections would be: the European People’s Party with its top candidate Ursula von der Leyen. The first forecast, published by the European Parliament shortly after eight o’clock on Sunday evening, predicted 181 seats. An hour and a half later, this number had climbed to 186 seats, and another hour later to 189 – at least ten seats gained. Even before the polling stations had closed across the EU, it was clear that the moderately conservative EPP, to which the German Union parties belong and which is led by the CSU politician Manfred Weber, would once again be the strongest group in the 720-member EU Parliament.