In the EU elections, Germany, the most populous country and greatest economy in the bloc, started votes on Sunday.
Approximately 60.9 million German citizens are able to vote, with the age limit being decreased from 18 to 16 for those who are entitled to vote for the first time.
In the European Union parliamentary elections, far-right parties have made considerable gains, humbling the parties of French President Emmanuel Macron, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
In a symbol of the enduring anti-establishment attitude across the continent, the 27-member European Parliament clearly shifted to the right on Sunday, even while conventional parties continued to hold control of the 705-member assembly.
Macron’s centrist Renaissance party suffered such a catastrophic defeat in France at the hands of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally that the French leader decided to seek early legislative elections—a bold move that could cost his party more ground and complicate his remaining three years in office as president.
It was predicted that National Rally would receive roughly 33% of the vote and 31 seats in the upcoming European Parliament, which is more than twice as many as the 15% received by the Macron ticket.
