Spain's centrists stem far-right surge in EU vote, bolstering Sanchez status

10/6/2024 19:27

        Spain's centrist parties contained a far-right surge in Sunday's European Parliament elections that is shaking governments in neighbouring countries,
        helping to bolster Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez standing as one of Europe centre-left's leading figures.
        
        The centre-right People's Party (PP) and Sanchez's Socialists (PSOE) gained two-thirds of the vote, up from about half of the share in 2019, winning a combined 42 of the available 61 seats. While the anti-immigration Vox party's vote share rose to 9.6% from 6.2% in 2019, it fell back from last year's national election, when it won 12.4%.
        
        Gains by the far-right elsewhere in Europe prompted a bruised French President Emmanuel Macron to call a snap national election, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats suffered their worst result ever.