Anti-Establishment Parties Claim Big Wins In European Parliamentary Vote
By Griff Witte and Anthony Faiola, Sunday, May 25, 7:41 PM E-mail the writers
LONDON — Voters across Europe delivered a stinging rebuke to the political establishment in parliamentary elections Sunday, boosting formerly fringe parties to key wins and giving some of the European Union’s staunchest critics a prominent voice in the body’s future.
Parties from the center-left and the center-right managed to maintain their majority in the 751-member European parliament, and will continue to hold sway for the next five years. But the strong showing for anti-E.U. parties reflected widespread anger toward mainstream politicians, and the appeal of populists at either end of the spectrum, particularly the far right.
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Parties that are hostile toward the European Union were projected to come out on top in countries including Britain, Denmark, France and Greece. Continent-wide, they could be on pace to double their haul of parliamentary seats compared with the last election, in 2009.
“The people have spoken loud and clear,” a jubilant Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front, told cheering supporters after winning the French vote on a stridently anti-immigration message. “They no longer want to be led by those outside our borders, by E.U. commissioners and technocrats who are unelected. They want to be protected from globalization and take back the reins of their destiny.”
At stake in Sunday’s vote — the only chance for voters to elect E.U. leaders — was the direction of Europe at a time when it is still convalescing after four years of social and economic crisis.
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