WORLD BRIEFING / EUROPE
Conservatives raced toward victory in some of Europe’s largest economies as initial results and exit polls showed voters punishing left-leaning parties in European Parliament elections in France, Germany and elsewhere.
Some right-leaning parties said the results vindicated their reluctance to spend more on company bailouts and fiscal stimulus amid the global economic crisis.
First projections by the European Union showed center-right parties would have the most seats -- between 263 to 273 -- in the 736-member Parliament. Center-left parties were expected to get between 155 and 165 seats.
Right-leaning governments were ahead of the opposition in Germany, France, Italy and Belgium, while conservative opposition parties were leading in Britain and Spain.
Greece was a notable exception, where the governing conservatives were headed for defeat in the wake of corruption scandals and economic woes.
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