The European Parliament elections for the 2024 – 2029 mandate have been completed. The three political groups of the Von der Leyen coalition – EPP (Christian Democrats), S&D (Social Democrats), and Renew (Liberals) – won 402 out of 720 seats in the European elections. In many European countries, including Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland, far-right and ultra-nationalist parties have been on the rise. This is also the case in other EU member states, where the polarization of society has become a fait accompli. The results in Poland, Hungary, Italy, and Slovakia show deep value differences among voters.
The European Parliament (EP) is the legislative body of the European Union (EU). The main executive body, the European Council, is completely independent of the EP and consists of the government leaders of all 27 member states. The European Commission, the day-to-day executive body of the EU, is mostly independent of the EP: Commission members are nominated by the governments of the member states, but the EP elects the Commission President and has the right to approve or dismiss the entire Commission.
Based on the population of 27 countries, it is represented by 720 seats, voted by more than 400 million voters.
After the European Parliament elections, on Sunday, June 9, important events took place around the world. Belgium’s Prime Minister resigned and is going to elections. In France, Macron dissolves his party and preparations are underway for elections. In Israel, Gantz resigned from the war cabinet and Likud party members are being included in the cabinet. Britain and Iran will hold elections in July.
Reasons for the rise of the far right
Today’s European politics is undergoing a transformation. Although this transformation is slow, it is in the process of creating a new political trend in favor of far-right parties. Far-right parties, which were previously on the fringes of the political spectrum, have reached a position where they can take part in coalition governments with mainstream parties in today’s Europe. In this context, we can explain the rise of far-right parties in France, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden with the following reasons; wrong education policies, economic crisis, prolonged war in Ukraine, migrant crises, Islamophobia and the negativities brought by globalization. This rise appears to be the result of a complex interaction of economic, social and cultural dynamics.
These leadership changes and political movements are also linked to the US elections in November. If Trump wins the election, it will have major repercussions across the world. The rise of right-wing governments in Europe can be read as an indication that Europe is aligning itself with Trump/Republicans.
What does far right mean?
The far right, “extreme right”, “radical right”, “populist right” or “new right” is the most extreme variant of rightism. In terms of its ideological characteristics, it supports national hierarchy and argues that some ethnic, religious or racial segments of society are ontologically superior, while others are inferior. While arguing that certain individuals, groups or clans have superior qualities, they exhibit attitudes and policies against “inferior” races, such as anti-immigration, socio-cultural oppression, discrimination and a number of attitudes and policies that humiliate or discredit these groups. In addition, conservative anti-globalization policies stand out. Far-right parties are also populist parties. They stand out with their reactive and impulsive attitudes, their opposition to cultural diversity and their defense of homogeneous nation-state structure. The ideas and rhetoric of far-right parties cast a shadow on the fundamental principles of Europe, such as democracy, human rights, the rule of law and equality. Far-right parties in Europe deepen the factionalization and polarization in society. They use language that excludes identities. One of the most important characteristics of the far right is populism. Examples of populist discourses are xenophobia, anti-immigration, opposition to multicultural and multi-religious structures, belief in the superiority of nativism, European nationalism and other policies, and demagoguery.
A brief history of the far right
The far right started to attract attention especially in the interwar period after World War I. The emergence of political movements such as Fascism and Nazism in Europe strengthened the hand of the far right. The biggest reasons for the emergence of these radical movements are the devastation caused by the World War, the resulting increase in polarization and polarization in society, the ideological currents created by the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, which made industrialists and landowners uneasy, and the measures taken by European governments in response to this, which they did not find sufficient, and as a result, they supported fanatical radical groups.
The general characteristics of far-right parties in Europe are populism, Euroscepticism, anti-immigration stances (especially against immigration from Muslim countries), extreme nationalism, xenophobia, and anti-Islamism. The most influential parties that fall under the definition of far-right in the context of the countries studied are the National Unity Party in France, the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) in the UK, the Brothers of Italy Party in Italy, the Alternative for Germany Party (AfD) in Germany, the Party for Freedom (PVV) in the Netherlands, the Vox Party in Spain, and the Chega (literally meaning “enough”) Party in Portugal. In France, Eric Zemmour, an independent candidate who has managed to attract some of the National Unity Party’s votes, is also influential.
Cultural Reasons
Starting in 2011, the refugee crisis triggered by the Arab Spring was also felt in the EU countries. According to the UNHCR report, 117.3 million people in the world have been displaced by violence, hunger and war and forced to migrate to safe countries. In Europe, refugees are mostly found in the coastal countries of Germany, Greece and Italy.
Islamophobia
Islamophobia can be defined as “fear of Islam” or “fear of Muslims.” The first examples of Islamophobia emerged as Christian attempts to refute Islam. In Europe, well-known figures such as Dante, Voltaire, Martin Luther, Desiderius Erasmus, and Pascal criticized Islam, the Qur’an, and the Prophet Muhammad in their works. The arguments of these notable individuals were later adopted by the masses in Europe, negatively affecting the perception of Islam and Muslims.
