Populists' EU breakthrough fails, greens and liberals gain

Mainstream parties suffered losses at the European election on Sunday (26 May), which saw a high turnout in most EU member states, ushering in massive wins for the Greens, but a lower than expected surge in right-wing populist parties.

Estimated overall turnout in the EU-27 member states at 51 percent compared to 42.6 percent in 2014, ending a 40-year downward trend in Europe of attracting less and less voter interest.

After a decade of crises with the EU at its core, whether the...