Far-Right Poised for Major Gains in European Elections

[CharlieH]

Photo by Arnaud Jaegers on Unsplash

 

A Historic Year for Global Democracy: Major Elections Across the World

 

This year marks a historic and pivotal moment for democracy around the globe. In 2024, approximately 70 countries, from the United States to South Africa, including Mexico and Taiwan, will hold elections.

 

Following India's extensive six-week ballot, the most significant election by voter numbers will occur next week, when 373 million Europeans are eligible to vote and elect 720 members to the next European Parliament.

 

As votes are tallied from across the 27-nation bloc, a significant shift to the right is widely anticipated. This shift could substantially influence the European Union's political direction during a period marked by multiple global crises.

 

From the war in Ukraine and managing mass migration to the rise of China and the threat of climate change, the EU's ability to unify its diverse member states on these issues remains challenging.

 

Disparities in opinion among member states are nothing new; EU politics has always depended on complex alliances between countries and political ideologies representing vastly different electorates.

 

However, over the past two decades, the EU’s political center has undeniably shifted to the right.

 

Shifting Dynamics in the European Parliament Reflect Political Changes

 

The European Parliament, based in Brussels, is where the shifting political landscape of the EU is most evident. Most Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are affiliated with national political parties. Upon entering the European Parliament, they join broader, multinational political groupings that share similar interests.

 

These groupings often form loose coalitions. Typically, a majority coalition comprises centrists from the center-left, center-right, and liberal factions. The political center of this coalition has gradually shifted to the right. In 1994, the main socialist group, S&D, had the most MEPs. By 1999, they were overtaken by the center-right European People’s Party (EPP).

 

The EPP, akin to conservatives in the mold of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has been the dominant force in EU politics ever since. While the EPP has managed to lead a centrist coalition with left-leaning and liberal groups, MEPs are still influenced by domestic political climates.

 

For instance, it's challenging for a conservative to collaborate with a liberal on EU-wide asylum policies if anti-immigration populism is gaining traction in their home country. The louder the domestic political pressures—and the higher the risk of losing their parliamentary seat—the more complicated cross-party politics in Brussels becomes.

 

The expected influx of lawmakers into groups positioned right of the EPP will certainly complicate the political dynamics further.

 

Rising Influence of Right-Wing Groups in European Parliament

 

The right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) groups are expected to finish fourth and fifth in seat numbers in the upcoming European Parliament elections. According to the Politico Poll of Polls, their combined tally could exceed 140 seats, a presence that the leading center-right European People’s Party (EPP) will find hard to ignore. The EPP is currently anticipated to secure 165 seats, compared to 143 seats for the socialist S&D.

 

Typical of European Parliament parties, the ECR and ID encompass a broad spectrum of conservatives. Founded by former British Prime Minister David Cameron, who campaigned against Brexit, the ECR is now chaired by Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni. Meloni gained significant attention during the 2022 Italian election for her stance against LGBTQ+ rights, promises to curb migration, and anti-globalist rhetoric. However, since her election, Meloni has adopted a more moderate approach, supporting several key EU initiatives, including aid for Ukraine. She has also resisted allowing authoritarian Hungarian leader Viktor Orban to join the ECR after his departure from the EPP, importantly as Hungary remains the EU’s most pro-Russia voice since the war began. This resistance has made Meloni and the ECR more acceptable to the Brussels establishment, including EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

 

Similarly, ID has worked to moderate its image. The group recently expelled the German far-right AfD party after one of its senior MEPs claimed in an Italian newspaper that not all members of the SS, the notorious Nazi paramilitary group, were criminals.

 

as reported by CNN

 

2024-06-01

 

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[Chomper Higgot]

What could possibly go wrong?!

[JonnyF]

The mythical far right. 

 

Invented by the left to discredit anyone with a different opinion. Massive fail. 

[riclag]

7 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

The mythical far right. 

 

Invented by the left to discredit anyone with a different opinion. Massive fail. 

Its the Influx of open borders , rioting left,

and politicians who want to unite the western world under a humanitarian all for one government.

Long live our national heritage !

[candide]

1 hour ago, riclag said:

Its the Influx of open borders , rioting left,

and politicians who want to unite the western world under a humanitarian all for one government.

Long live our national heritage !

Right! The European so-called nationalists, parroting the U.S. right-wing, and also Putin-friendly! 😀

[thaibeachlovers]

IMO if there is a move to support more authoritarian political parties the loonys lefties that have been in power far too long have only themselves to blame, with their woke PC policies that have allowed barking movements to emerge, such as believing that paying more taxes and driving an EV ( with materials produced by exploited labour ) is going to magically return us to a paradise age where there were no storms, wildfires, poverty or war, and everyone sat around campfires singing Kumbaya while a gentle rain watered the crops between 1 and 6 am, or that allowing as many people that landed on shore from a leaky rubber boat to stay is going to make life better for the tax paying citizens.

[thaibeachlovers]

17 hours ago, CharlieH said:

As votes are tallied from across the 27-nation bloc, a significant shift to the right is widely anticipated. This shift could substantially influence the European Union's political direction during a period marked by multiple global crises.

If they put a stop to the illegal immigrants washing up on the Mediterranean shores, good job.

[FruitPudding]

Good.

 

Better than the extreme left we currently have.

[Lee65]

14 hours ago, JonnyF said:

The mythical far right. 

 

Invented by the left to discredit anyone with a different opinion. Massive fail. 

 

The "Left", too.

 

Left - Right politics keeps people blindly divided so TPTB can get their one-world government.