The Story
After four days of voting, we're finding out the results of the European Parliament elections.
I put my phone down for a few days. Can I get a recap?
Over the last few days, millions of EU citizens voted for their reps in the European Parliament. The group is responsible for passing legislation for the bloc. This year's elections had the highest voter turnout in 20 years.
Exercising democracy, love it. So who won?
The Greens…because, climate change. We keep learning about the dangers of climate change and how the world is close to a point of no return. The Greens group is now the fourth-largest voting bloc, and is sending thank-you notes to voters in Germany, France, and the UK.
The far right…known for their anti-EU, anti-migrant platform did well in Italy, France, and Hungary – places that already had a sizable far-right presence. It didn't win as many seats as many anticipated. But it did well enough to cement the fact that the far right isn't going anywhere – something Italy's deputy PM says is a "sign of a Europe that is changing."
Is it?
Well, let's ask those who weren't pulling out the celebratory bubbly...
The coalition…made up of center-left and center-right parties lost its majority for the first time, ever. Now it'll have to team up with less mainstream parties to make sh*t happen in Parliament – on everything from immigration to trade.
UK PM Theresa May…can't catch a break. Voters don't like how Brexit is-slash-isn't going. And they showed no mercy at the polls: May's Conservative Party and the opposition Labour Party had bad showings. Nigel Farage's new, pro-Brexit party came out on top – though anti-Brexit parties had more votes, combined. TLDR: Brexit goes into effect in October. Voters are still torn. And the UK may or may not leave Brexit without a deal.
Losing is rough.
Tell that to Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. Yesterday, he was ousted in a no-confidence vote over his handling of a political scandal that allegedly involves Ibiza, corruption, and a Russian oligarch's niece. The drama doesn't end there. The country's far-right vice chancellor had to resign over said scandal...but he won a seat in the European Parliament. Come on in, the water's just (far) right.
theSkimm
The EU was created to build economic and political stability after World War II. But the 2015 migrant crisis, climate change, and other issues have polarized voters and led to more fragmented parties. It's unclear what this latest election means for the EU's future, for next five years and beyond.
Skimm More: Read up on how the elections work and why they matter.
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