Belgian Prime Minister publicizes resignation after loss to right-wing

The European Union elections have claimed yet another political scalp, after Belgium’s liberal prime minister resigned following a massive electoral defeat tonight. 

The continent is currently seeing a wave of far-Right victories in the EU elections, taking place this weekend. 

Already, France, Germany and Austria have seen a rise in popularity for hardline anti-immigration parties. 

And now Belgium has followed suit, after nationalist parties swept up the votes in the bloc-wide election. 

Alexander De Croo, leader of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats, also known as Open VLD, announced tonight that he would step down as the leader of his nation tomorrow, following the shocking election results.  

Open VLD has taken in just six percent of the votes, 90% of which have been counted, at the European Union elections. 

Despite polls predicting that the far-right, anti-immigration Vlaams Belang party would become the main political force in the country with 11.5 million inhabitants, the right-wing nationalist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) retained its first spot, with an expected 22% of the votes, according to provisional results provided by the Interior ministry.

The Vlaams Belang came in second position, with a share of 17.5%, ahead of the Socialist Voruit party, which garnered about 10.5% of the votes.

Despite this, he claimed that his Liberal party would return. 

DeCroo’s defeat comes just hours after French president Emmanuel Macron called a snap election in the wake of a massive swing to the right during the country’s European Union elections. 

Macron tonight suffered a major defeat after Marine le Pen‘s National Rally party took home a projected 31.5% of the vote following the country’s European Union elections. 

His Renaissance party meanwhile suffered one of the worst ever defeats for a party in French government, taking just 15.2% of France‘s vote. 

Macron dissolved France’s parliament and called the election in the wake of the major defeat, announcing the first round will take place on June 30, while the second will take place on July 7. 

He said, following his announcement: ‘France needs a clear majority in serenity and harmony. To be French, at heart, it is about choosing to write history, not be driven by it.’

Supporters of the far-right National Rally party were seen gleefully celebrating the dissolution of France’s parliament, having been buoyed by their success at the EU elections.   

The EU election, which has been held across the continent over the last three days, is the first since Brexit, the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

On top of these, many voters have been hit by the cost of living, have concerns about migration and the cost of the green transition and are disturbed by geopolitical tensions, including war in Ukraine, and hard and far-right parties have seized on this and offered the electorate an alternative.

It isn’t only French citizens who have been wooed by the far-right tonight. 

In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SDU) was projected to come third, taking just 14% of the votes, a historic low for the party according to German broadcasters who commissioned exit polls.

Far and hard-right parties in Germany, meanwhile, have been projected to take the lead.

A conservative alliance of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) took home 29.5% of the vote.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), took second, with 16.5% of the votes – a massive 5.5% increase compared to the 2019 EU election.

A similar result was seen in Austrian exit polls, with the far-right FPOe party leading the vote count.

If confirmed, it would be the first time the group has topped a nationwide ballot in the Alpine country.

The Freedom Party (FPOe) gained 27 percent of the votes, ahead of the ruling conservative People’s Party (OeVP), according to the polls released by the country’s main media outlets.

The EU Parliament, which will be made up of 720 seats after the election finishes, is made up of multi-party factions.

While centre-left and centre-right factions have largely dominated the bloc’s parliament since its last election in 2019, these parties are broadly expected to lose seats as more and more Europeans turn to more extreme parties in the hopes that they may solve their problems with the EU. 

A projection by Europe Elects pollster on Sunday showed the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) could gain just five seats compared to the last parliament to win a total of 183. The Socialists, who include German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party, are seen losing four seats to get 136.

In contrast, the poll said the national-conservative European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) was likely to get five more deputies for a total of 73 and the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group could get eight more seats for a total of 67.

More deputies could join the right and far-right groups from among the so far non-affiliated deputies of whom there would be 79, the poll said.

Meanwhile, the European Greens, facing a backlash from hard-pressed households, farmers and industry over costly EU policies limiting CO2 emissions, look set to be among the big losers with the poll on Sunday giving them only 56 deputies, a loss of 15.

Forecasts for the liberal group Renew Europe are also grim, given the expectation that Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement National will trounce French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance in France.

The Sunday poll put the Renew group’s losses at 13 seats, forecasting it will end up with 89.

The European Parliament will issue an EU-wide exit poll at around 7:30pm BST and then a first provisional result after 10pm when the final votes, in Italy, have been cast.