French far-right leader Marine Le Pen won her symbolic duel with President Emmanuel Macron Sunday, as eurosceptic forces made strong gains in the EU parliamentary election.
Turnout EU-wide was estimated at 51 percent, the highest in 20 years, suggesting more than 200 million citizens across the 28-nation bloc voted in a poll billed as a battle between populists and pro-European forces.
Mainstream parties put up enough of a defense to keep a possible majority in the 751-seat assembly — and Green parties also did well — but Le Pen’s victory in her head-to-head with Macron set the tone of the night.
Le Pen’s National Rally was on track for around 24.0-24.2 percent, with Macron’s centrists trailing with 22.5-23.0 percent, according to two polls from Ifop-Fiducial and Harris Interactive-Agence Epoka.
Across Europe, according to a projection based on partial results and exit polling and prepared by the parliament, the center-right EPP group is on course to have the most seats in the assembly with 173, down from 216.
But, with the center-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) projected to win 147, down from 185, the two mainstream parties between them will no longer have a majority and will have to reach out to liberals to maintain a “cordon sanitaire” and exclude the far-right from decision making.