MOSCOW, June 8 (RIA Novosti) - Right-leaning parties across Europe have been boosted by elections to the European Parliament with preliminary results released on Monday showing conservative groups strongly favored.
Turnout in the elections, spread over four days and ending on Sunday, was predictably low, with 43% of eligible voters taking part.
According to the first estimates from the European Union, center-right parties would have between 263 and 273 seat in Europe's 736-member parliament. Center-left parties are expected to get between 155 to 165 seats.
In Italy, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's center-right party has scored over 35% votes with 96% of ballots counted, according to the Italian Interior Ministry.
Preliminary results from Britain place its Conservative Party ahead with 24 mandates to the EU parliament. The Conservatives are followed by the United Kingdom Independence Party, UKIP, which is seeking Britain's isolation from the European Union. The governing Labour Party is forecast to come third.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats outscored the Social Democratic Party with 37.9% of the vote, won jointly with Bavaria's Christian Social Union.
France's Conservatives, led by President Nicolas Sarkozy, thrashed the Socialist Party, according to official results.
Enjoying a five-year term, European Parliament members are entitled to vote on or amend two-thirds of all EU laws. The European legislature has the power to amend the EU budget, select European Commission members and candidates to the EU administration and the board of the European Central Bank.
