The rise of right-wing parties ahead of EU election

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Europe

European Parliamentary elections are coming up later this month and never have the stakes been higher.

Europe has been facing the most difficult challenges such as Brexit, migration, austerity, the rise of right wing and EU skeptic parties since the last parliamentary election in 2014.

For these reasons, some commentators say this vote will be the most important since the first direct elections 40 years ago.

Germany's anti-establishment Alternative for Deutschland (AFD) won its first seats in the German parliament in 2017 with nearly 13 percent of the vote, and is now represented in all 16 state legislatures.

In January, they launched their campaign for the European Parliament with an attack on EU federalism and a defense of national sovereignty.

Delegates applaud during the anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) congress, Hanover, Germany, December 2, 2017. /VCG Photo

"If you're not in the system you can't change the system. Just to criticize it from the outside doesn't bring any change. We want to reform Europe, but we don't want to destroy Europe," said AFD's Bernhard Zimniok, who is running for the party in Germany's most conservative state of Bavaria. He also claimed that his party is critical of European Union as an institution.

"There has never been an election in Germany (asking) if we want to take part in this, if we want to give up upon our sovereignty. We want to get the legislative powers back from Brussels into the national states. We want to end these incredible migration politics, which have caused us many problems. We also have a few other areas to work on, like economic policies," he added.

This position is gaining traction, not only in Germany but also across other European countries. Nationalist, EU skeptic parties now hold seats in seven national governments of EU member states.

Currently these parties are divided among three parliamentary groups, but the AFD and Italy's La League party want them all to join together under one banner for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

(From L to R) Member of the Finnish conservative political Finns party, Olli Kotro, Federal spokesman for Alternative for Germany (AfD), Germany's Joerg Meuthen, Italy's Interior Minister, deputy PM and Federal Secretary of Italy's Northern League (Lega Nord) right-wing regionalist political party, Matteo Salvini and member of Denmark's People's Party, Anders Primdahl Vistisen unite as they pose during a meeting of European nationalists, Milan, Italy, April 8, 2019. /VCG Photo

The European Alliance for People and Nations has already recruited the Finns Party and the Danish People's Party, while France's National Rally, Austria's ruling Freedom Party and Spain's VOX parties have stated their interest in joining such an alliance.

The alliance will allow them to better challenge the power of centrist parties in Europe's top legislative body, according to Zimniok.

"There will be further talks with all 'national-directed' forces in Europe so that we will be strong on the right. We are very hopeful that this will become a strong force. The most important thing is that we return this power that Brussels has taken back into the nation states. Only then politics for the citizens and from the citizen can be created," said Zimniok.

This "change from within" is the reason why most nationalist groups have been campaigning hard for this month's European parliamentary elections, despite the electorate traditionally not been so bothered, according to Dr. Peter Matuschek, the head of FORSA, a political and social research institute based in Berlin.

"The turnout will be probably as low as it was five years ago with about only 50 percent participating. The problem for the electorate, particularly in Germany, is that many don't really know very much about this (European parliament) so the election does not have much importance to the voters. We have a high interest in European politics and developments abroad in other countries, but we have quite low interest in the European elections," he said.

Members of the European Parliament take part in a voting session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, December 11, 2018. /VCG Photo

According to a recent survey, 45 percent of Germans do not know any of the nine top European Parliament election candidates.

But this voter apathy could be exactly what turns the tides for the nationalist groups. Clenching Member of European Parliament (MEP) seats will depend less on how many votes for them, but more on how many votes for others.

"The advantage for the right wing parties," said Dr. Matuschek, "as for any smaller party as well is that there is no threshold in Germany in this election, so if you get any votes, depending on the seats you will make it into parliament."

EU flags flutter in the breeze outside the European Parliament, Strasbourg, France. /VCG Photo

So far polls indicate that far right and populist parties could end up with as much as a third of MEP seats this year.

Dr. Matuschek said the AFD has finally given a voice to a segment of German society that had always felt underrepresented.

"We've always had a proportionate of the electorate with right wing radical views, but they would usually not show up for the elections. So now they have a party they can put their vote and now they have a representation in parliament they did not have before."

The make-up of the next European Parliament is expected to be much more mixed than in the past, yet analysts warn that, while democratic, the rise of the right in this parliament will make it more difficult to form a majority and could lead to stalled progress for at least the next five years.

(Cover: Flags of the member states of the European Union (EU) flutter in the breeze outside the European Parliament, Strasbourg, France. /VCG Photo)