Centre, Left out: Far-right parties gain ground in European Union election

The results of the European elections revealed some unexpected outcomes on Monday as the full picture from the world’s biggest multi-country vote became clearer. In the past week, voters across 28 nations delivered the highest turnout in a European election in 20 years as they selected new representatives to sit in the Parliament.

How does the EU Parliament work?

It is the EU’s law-making body. It's made up of 751 members, called MEPs, who are directly elected by EU voters every five years. These MEPs — who sit in both Brussels and Strasbourg — represent the interests of citizens from the EU’s 28 member states. One of its main legislative roles is scrutinising and passing laws proposed by the European Commission.