The results of the four-day EU Parliamentary elections, which took place June 6-9 across all 27 member states, show an overall majority for the centrist parties, despite the predicted surge from the far-right groups.

It was a fair election with about 630 million eligible voters. The number of candidates was allocated according to each country’s population

The 720 seats in parliament for the next five years will primarily consist of center-right candidates with 186 seats, and an alliance of socialists and democrats holding 137.

The parliament will be fragmented in that the centrists do not always agree on all matters, and the far-right populists are very much divided in opinions between different countries.

Portugal has elected its 21 parliamentarians to serve in Brussels. The socialist group did best with eight seats, and the center-right had seven.  The Left, Renew Europe, and the Identify and Democracy groups each have two. Portugal’s far-right missed out altogether. This has been the ninth EU election held in Portugal

Exit poll highlights:

• The European People’s Party won 186 seats, a gain of 10 over the last parliament.
• Socialist groups won 133, down six.
• Renew Europe liberals, won 82, down 20.
• ECR conservatives and reformists won 70 seats, up one.

The far-right did especially well in Italy where Prime Minister Giorgie Meloni won a strong majority that boosts her leadership both at home and in Europe.

Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France produced a historic win. It has caused President Emmanuel Macron to suddenly and surprisingly dissolve the French parliament and call a snap national election.

In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said his country is a beacon of hope for Europe as his centrist pro-Europe Civic Coalition did well in the EU elections.

In Spain, the Socialist Workers Party vies for first place with the conservative People’s Party. The hard right is in third place.

Portugal joined the EU in 1986 and was one of the first countries to adopt the euro on 1 January 1999. The EU countries are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

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Len Port, born in Northern Ireland, worked as a news reporter and correspondent, mainly in Hong Kong and South Africa, before moving to Portugal many years ago.