High turnout for European elections in Germany

Berlin (dpa) – Turnout in Germany for the European elections reached record levels since reunification, at 64.8%. The Federal Returning Officer made the announcement when presenting the provisional results of direct votes for Germany’s 96 delegates to the European Parliament. In 1994, turnout for the first European elections in Germany after reunification was 60%. There are 720 members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. According to the provisional count, the Union won the most votes and seats (30.0%, 29 seats), well ahead of the AfD (15.9%, 15 seats). Of the governing parties, the SPD won 13.9% of votes and 14 seats, the Greens won 11.9% and 12 seats, and the FDP 5.2% and 5 seats. The new left-wing Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) party gained 6.2% of the vote and 6 seats.