Editorial: Le Monde

• The European Parliament is solidly anchored to the right, with more ranks on the far right than in the previous legislature.
• The rise of the far right is spectacular in Western Europe, particularly in old democracies that have known totalitarian or authoritarian regimes in the last century.
• The far-right establishes itself as a political force in the three largest countries, also founding members of the Union: France, Italy, and Germany.
• Far-right parties and their illiberal version in post-communist central Europe are in decline.
• A disillusionment of voters with the experience of exercise of power by populist parties may offer some justification for these results.
• The war in Ukraine and the proximity of the Russian threat have played a mobilizing role in favor of resolutely pro-European parties in these regions.

Conclusion: This new East-West democratic split may shift the balances around the European Council table, where the personal influence of Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Emmanuel Macron could be diminished by the disapproval inflicted by their voters.

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