Pro-European Union powers managed to keep control of the European Parliament in the bloc-wide elections of May 2019, following a surge in support for liberal and green parties in Germany, France and the U.K. Populists won a majority of the national vote in France, Italy and the U.K., but failed to make the broader gains that many polls had projected.
Below are the results of the 2019 elections, as of July 3, following the first plenary session of the newly-elected Parliament.
Parliamentary Results
Political groups in Parliament and their distribution among member states 👆
How Member States Voted
National vote share and Parliament seat distribution
How the Election Works
The European Parliament is the only EU institution whose members are elected through a direct popular vote. Members of the European Parliament are responsible for electing the President of the European Commission—the EU executive body—and approving the laws that govern the Union.
The Parliament’s 751 seats are distributed among member states based on population. Voters in each country cast ballots for national parties. Those parties are affiliated with parties at the European level, which in turn are represented in the Parliament through various political groups. The group with the most seats has the best chance of influencing the policy direction of the European Commission. Since 1999, the center-right European People’s Party and its predecessors have held the most seats.