In Germany, exit polls see the far-right and pro-Russian Alternative for Germany taking second place behind the opposition conservatives with 16.5% of the vote, up from 11% in 2019, according to an exit poll published by public broadcaster ARD.

All three parties in German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition suffered losses compared to their performance at the last EU elections in 2019, according to the poll.

OUCH! The traffic light coalition in Germany suffers a historic rout in the European elections. German Chancellor Scholz’s SPD crashed to 14%, their worst-ever result, falling to 3rd place behind the far-right AfD, exit polls show. The other 2 parties in Scholz’s ruling alliance… pic.twitter.com/JVBL9WbpXw

— Holger Zschaepitz (@Schuldensuehner) June 9, 2024

The AfD has tapped into frustrations with Scholz’s coalition, support for which has plunged since it took office in late 2021 and immediately had to contend with multiple challenges, ranging from the Ukraine war and rising irregular migration to a cost of living crisis.

Just a week before the election, a policeman was stabbed and killed at an anti-Islam rally by an Afghan man who was not living legally in Germany, an incident which shocked Germany and could have boosted the showing for the anti-migration AfD.

In France, projections see Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party winning around 32% of the votes, a 10-percentage-point increase on the last EU election in 2019 and some 17 points ahead of President Emmanuel Macron's party, according to the first exit polls.

European Parliament results in France 🇫🇷: it’s a political thunderbolt.

France Info analysis:

“National Rally at a historic level with 31.5% of the votes, the presidential camp at only 15.2%, followed closely by the Socialist Party (14%), according to our Ipsos estimate.… pic.twitter.com/IZXqpKXEL4

— Daniel Foubert (@d_foubert) June 9, 2024

As the far-right party’s frontrunner Jordan Bardella said on Sunday commenting on the exit polls, Macron should call for new parliamentary elections in France after his camp came a distant second behind the National Rally.

“Emmanuel Macron is a weakened president tonight,” he told supporters, adding: “The unprecedented gap between the presidential majority and the leading opposition party tonight reflects a stinging disavowal and rejection of the president and his government.”