Far-right Parties and unaffiliated members made significant gains in the weekend’s European Parliament elections, rattling leadership in Germany and France and prompting French President Emmanuel Macron to call for immediate French Parliamentary elections, Reuters reports.
While center, center-left and left-wing representatives will still dominate the European Parliament, the increased portion of anti-EU rightwingers could act as obstructionist as Jim Jordan and the far-right Republicans in the House behave. That could hold up trade discussions, climate change efforts, and defense needs.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a member of the Social Democrats, was hit with gains from mainstream conservatives as well as far-right nationalist groups. Macron’s Party losses in the election prompted him to call for a snap election, with the first round to happen at the end of June, to help him consolidate and reaffirm his power, but it comes with a risk of shedding seats if his campaign proves unsuccessful.