Wolfgang Hansson
This is a commenting text. Analysis and positions are the writer's.
Updated 00.22 | Published 2024-06-09 23.53
Next largest in Germany.
Vladimir Putin's far-right friends in Western Europe took home a big slam in the EU elections.
The nightmare of those who hoped for a center-oriented Europe came true.
But it is still unclear how much the far-right will have a say in.
Nevertheless, the evening must be described as a triumph for Putin. In all major countries in Europe, his friends advanced strongly compared to the EU elections five years ago.
This likely means that Europe's support for Ukraine will increasingly be called into question. Something that is at the top of Putin's wish list. It will be easier to divide Europe, which has been his goal all along.
In France, the EU's second largest economy, Marine Le Pen's National Assembly, with a history of anti-Semitism, became the largest party with over 30 percent of the vote. Twice as much as President Macron's party, which narrowly managed to come second.
The loss was so great and so humiliating that Macron decided on his feet to call new elections for the parliament at the end of June. Apparently he hopes to show that the victory of the National Assembly was the result of a vote of discontent and when the French are forced to elect their own parliament, they will vote for the more liberal forces.
In Italy, the EU's third largest economy, the Brothers of Italy, a party with roots in neo-fascism, became the largest.
In Austria, the right-wing populist FPÖ with roots in Nazism won despite a series of scandals in recent years.
In the EU's largest country, Germany, the extremist Alternative for Germany, AfD, became the next largest party after the right-wing Christian Democrats. But in eastern Germany they became the biggest.
This despite the fact that the party's top candidate Maximilian Krah was banned from participating in the election campaign since his assistant in the EU-parlamentet was arrested on suspicion of spying for China. He himself claimed that not all who were part of the German secret police during World War II, the SS, were criminals.
She has managed to pick up votes from the AfD. But she also goes through Putin's affairs in practice and thinks that Ukraine should now negotiate with Russia for peace.
In Belgium, the far-right Vlaams Belang was second largest. In the Netherlands, anti-Islam Geert Wilder's party won seven seats in parliament after previously having none at all.
With this election, it is enough to state that far-right parties of various shades have become normalized. They are now part of the established political landscape. It is no longer possible to scare voters with right-wing extremism.
It is pure revolution compared to how it looked 10-15 years ago when these parties were considered pariahs that none of the established politicians wanted to take in with forceps.
Largest party in France, Austria and Italy.
Tidö cooperation in the EU
Broadly speaking, it is only in Sweden and Finland that the extreme right did not celebrate triumphs in the elections.
However, despite their strong results, it is not certain that they will have much direct influence. Decisive will be whether the conservative party group EPP, which includes the Swedish moderates and the German CDU, continues to cooperate with the social democratic and liberal group. The EPP is another of the election's winners.
It is entirely possible that the EPP instead chooses to cooperate with the right. A Tidö collaboration at European level.
Statements in that direction have been heard from, among others, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen (who belongs to the EPP), who praised her cooperation with the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni.
Meloni is approved because she supports Ukraine, says she is for the EU and the rule of law. But in Italy she has a completely different appearance. So the question is where she really stands.
Many of the nationalist right-wing populist parties disagree with each other, above all regarding the view of the sanctions against Russia and the war in Ukraine. Many want to stop sending weapons to Ukraine and force President Zelensky to negotiate peace with Putin.
No longer want to leave
Von der Leyen, Ulf Kristersson and several conservative leaders have said that they will not cooperate with pro-Russian extreme parties on the right or left. There is, for example, the French National Assembly, which looks set to become the largest party of all in the EU Parliament, but which will still have a very limited influence if they continue with their pro-Russian line.
Another major change is that the far-right parties, by virtue of their success, no longer advocate that their countries should leave the Union. Instead, they should try to change the EU from within.
There, the climate issue can come into focus. The extreme right is generally opposed to all radical climate measures, which will make it more difficult to reduce emissions in time.
Not least because the green parties went back almost everywhere except in the Nordics.
FACTS
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