Although results of the recently held elections in Spain were inconclusive, the conservative Popular Party became the single largest party with 136 seats in a 350-seat Parliament. Its leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo had hoped that he would be able to win an absolute majority with the help of far-right Vox.
For weeks, Vox was projected as a kingmaker. In fact, Vox’s campaign was endorsed by leading European nationalist leaders including Italy's Giorgia Meloni, Hungary's Viktor Orban and Poland’s Mateusz Morawiecki. But its tally has actually declined to 33 from 52 from the last Parliament. Now Spain is facing weeks or months of political uncertainty, which is not unusual.
The Far-Right’s Rise
In the meanwhile, the broad narrative as described by BBC’s political editor Katya Adler recently is that “look around Europe right now - north, south, east and west – and you see far-right parties of different flavours – nostalgic nationalist, populist nationalist, ultra conservative with neo-fascist roots and more – enjoying a notable resurgence”.
The top four European Union (EU) economies viz. Germany, France, Italy and Spain have all seen the rise of far-right forces. In current ratings, Alternative for Germany (AfD) is 3 percent above the Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD).
Marine Le Pen received 41 percent votes in the final round of presidential elections in France last year. Italy is now led by the first far-right government since the second World War. Depending on how politics unfold in Spain, Vox might join a ruling coalition in the near future.
Some of the political parties which are much in focus in Europe are Alternative for Germany (AfD), National Rally (France), Freedom Party (Austria), Brothers of Italy, Liga (Italy), Vox (Spain), People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (Netherlands), Finns Party (Finland), Greek Solution, Sweden Democrats, Freedom and Direct Democracy (Czech Republic), Denmark Democrats, New Flemish alliance (Belgium), Revival (Bulgaria), AUR (Romania) and the UK Independence Party. For years, Fidesz in Hungary and the Law and Justice Party in Poland have been running right wing governments.
Post-War Europe’s Lingering Spectre
Even when Nazism and Fascism was discredited after the War, right-wing political parties continued to exist in most European countries. But they were insignificant electorally. Still, a few like the Italian Social Movement (MSI) continued to play a significant role. The current Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party Brothers of Italy has its roots in the MSI.
Till the late 1970s, a few like the Union and French Fraternity (UFF) gained significant political results but disappeared soon. With their opposition to deepening European economic integration and secularisation of politics, the far-right increased its electoral support from the 1980s. Few of them, like the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) also entered the national Parliament.
In the last twenty years, however, many of them have started moving from the fringes to the mainstream political space. Starting with 9/11 terrorist attacks, issues related to refugee influx, Eurozone crisis, terrorist incidents and failure of multiculturalism have given them space to grow.
The EU has been a neoliberal project. It is well designed to be served by conservative or socialist parties or coalitions having a tilt towards the centre. The processes of globalisation and European integration in the last thirty years created more interdependence within Europe and with the outside world. This coincided with the broader decline of the West.
How Far-Right Gained Legitimacy
When traditional political parties appeared to take moderate or muddled positions on immigration, terrorism, multiculturalism and national sovereignty, the right wing parties came out with clear policies opposing integration of nations, markets and people.
When rightist parties started expanding, many centre-right conservative parties also started using far-right language on issues like immigration to protect their own voter base. This provided legitimacy to far-right politics. Although Nigel Farage of the UKIP was pushing for Brexit, it was Conservative David Cameron who actually promised the 2016 Brexit referendum.
The European far-right engage in politics in the name of “people” against “the elites”. They are also constantly searching for “enemies”. They are also increasingly collaborating and using each other’s language. The Trump presidency in the United States gave them a boost. One dominant issue is of course immigration. But they are also sceptical of many international institutions including the EU. Interestingly, many of them also admire Russian President Vladimir Putin for what he is doing for his own nation.
Today the far-right is present in many European parliaments. Starting with Austria in 1999, they are now part of many ruling coalitions. These coalitions have modified their behaviour.
Instead of leaving, almost all of them now want to reform the EU from within. However, in a position of constitutional majority as is the case in Hungary, their opposition to key institutional values of liberal democracy such as independent judiciary, free press and pluralism have become clear.
Gulshan Sachdeva is Professor at the Centre for European Studies and Coordinator, Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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