Yusuf Hatip
27 May 2019•Update: 27 May 2019
BRUSSELS
Anti-immigrant far-right parties and Greens increased their seats in the European Parliament (EP) while central parties suffered significant decline in Sunday's elections, according to unofficial results on Monday.
Pro-EU European People's Party (EPP) -- which held 216 seats before the elections -- led the ballot with 180 seats in the 751-seat EP while Social Democrats (S&D) won 152 seats, 33 seats down from the previous elections in 2014.
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) won 105 seats, the European Greens/European Free Alliance (EFA) 67, European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) 61, Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF) 57, European Freedoms and Direct Democracy (EFDD) 54 and European United Left–Nordic Green Left (GUE-NGL) won 38 so far.
The remaining 37 MPs were elected from independents and other candidates.
Far-right parties are to be represented under three political alliances -- European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF) and European Freedoms and Direct Democracy (EFDD).
In Germany, the Greens saw the greatest increase and the party became second after Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat Union (CDU).
Far-right parties received the most votes in three large countries of Europe -- the U.K., France and Italy.
The newly founded Brexit Party of Nigel Farage received 31.6 % of the votes in the U..K., while the National Rally led by Marine Le Pen received 23.3 % in France.
In Italy, Northern League Party received the most votes in the elections, for the first time in its history.
On the other hand, socialist parties won in Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal.
A total of four Turkish-origin candidates were elected as MPs, three of which from Germany.
In the Greek Cypriot administration, a Turkish-origin candidate, Niyazi Kizilyurek, was elected for the first time as an EMP.
The EP elections also triggered snap elections in Greece, as the ruling Radical Coalition of the Left (SYRIZA) fell well behind of the main opposition New Democracy (ND).
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in a press conference on late Sunday that he would demand snap elections.
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont were also elected as MPs in the elections.
* Writing by Burak Bir and Fatih Hafiz Mehmet.
