The rise of the far right in Europe: First in Germany since World War II!
In Germany 's snap general election on Sunday, the far-right Alternative for Germany ( AfD ) party more than doubled its votes, achieving its strongest result since World War II - the election of Adolf Hitler - according to AP analysis.
Opposition conservatives won Germany's elections by a narrow margin under Friedrich Merz, who said he hoped to form a coalition government by Easter, but it would be a difficult process.
Germany is the most populous country in the 27-member European Union and a leading member of NATO. It is the largest arms supplier to Ukraine after the United States and will play a central role in shaping Europe in the coming years.
AfD LEADERS: A HISTORICAL ACHIEVEMENT
"Today we have achieved a historic success," AfD co-chair Tino Chrupalla told supporters. "We are now the political centre and away from the extremes." The party received 20.8% of the vote this election, its previous highest was 12.6% when it first entered parliament in 2017. AfD prime ministerial candidate Alice Weidel said she was open to coalition talks with Merz's party, describing his victory as a "Pyrrhic victory":
"They cannot implement these together with left-wing parties," he said.
HE WAS PUNISHED FOR NAZI SLOGANS
Björn Höcke, leader of Thuringia, where the AfD came first in state elections last year, was fined twice for using Nazi slogans. Höcke denies doing so knowingly.
The AfD's success is seen as one of the most visible examples of how far-right parties have a strong connection with young voters. More than a third of voters aged 18 to 24 in Thuringia and Saxony voted for the AfD.
FAR RIGHT GOVERNMENT IN EU COUNTRIES
Far-right parties are now in government in the European country after strong performances in recent elections.
Seven EU member states – Croatia, Czechia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands and Slovakia – currently have far-right parties in their governments. The far-right is gaining increasing support among voters in Europe, according to a report by the International Bar Association (IBA).
ITALY
In September 2022, the radical right party Brothers of Italy (Fdl) won early general elections with 26% of the vote, bringing Georgia Meloni to the premiership and increasing its share to 28% in the 2024 European Parliament elections.
HOLLAND
In November 2023, the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) made a big splash by winning 37 out of 150 seats in the Dutch parliament. The party more than doubled its number of seats from 2021, overtaking the liberal VVD and becoming the country’s largest party.
PORTUGAL
In March 2024, the far-right Chega party quadrupled its parliamentary representation, winning 50 seats and receiving 18% of the popular vote.
CROATIA
In May 2024, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, leader of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party, formally announced a coalition agreement with the far-right Homeland Movement (Domovinski Pokret) after inconclusive parliamentary elections following weeks of uncertainty.
FRANCE
In snap elections held in July 2024, the far-right National Rally (RN) came in first place in the first round with a clear margin, but dropped to third place in the second round with 24.6% of the vote.
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