European Elections 2014: Six Nations That Lurched Left, Not Right

Six Nations That Lurched Left, Not Right, At The EU Elections
Nigel Farage, leader of Britain's United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) enjoys a pint of beer at a pub in South Benfleet, England, Friday, May 23, 2014. UKIP, Britain's anti-European party has made big gains in local elections, taking votes from both the governing Conservatives and main opposition Labour Party. It's a strong performance for the U.K. Independence Party, which advocates pulling Britain out of the EU and stopping the unfettered right to entry of European citizens. With about a
Nigel Farage, leader of Britain's United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) enjoys a pint of beer at a pub in South Benfleet, England, Friday, May 23, 2014. UKIP, Britain's anti-European party has made big gains in local elections, taking votes from both the governing Conservatives and main opposition Labour Party. It's a strong performance for the U.K. Independence Party, which advocates pulling Britain out of the EU and stopping the unfettered right to entry of European citizens. With about a
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Coverage of the European election results has been dominated by the sight of triumphant Nigel Farage celebrating Ukip coming top of the poll in the UK and the Front National's Marine Le Pen celebrating her victory in France, as part of what some have called Europe's "lurch to the right".

Other countries saw the rise of much more sinister far-right groups, such as the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party in Germany and the anti-Semitic Jobbik in Hungary.

Despite the media's focus on the rise of the (far) right, it wasn't all bad news for the left, however. Some EU countries did buck the trend with anti-austerity, left-wing parties winning new supporters and new seats in the European Parliament.

So who are these left-wing exceptions to the right-wing rule?

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