AUSTRIA – The far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) has had representatives in the Austrian parliament for over 60 years. Its populist campaigns have prompted centrist parties to adopt restrictive migration policies. The FPOe entered the government in 2000, leading other EU member states to freeze relations with Austria for several months. Now, when in opposition, it seeks to return to power after the elections on October 15. Polls give the party support of around 25 percent.
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BRITAIN – The UK Independence Party (UKIP) was founded in 1993 and positioned itself as a radical alternative to established political parties advocating for leaving the EU. Despite receiving 13 percent of the votes in 2015, which earned it only one parliamentary seat, many considered it a single-issue party. After the successful Brexit campaign voted on in the June 2016 referendum, it seemed to lose its purpose. Charismatic leader Nigel Farage resigned, and in the snap general elections in June 2017, the party received only two percent of the votes, leaving it without a voice in parliament and facing an uncertain future.
BULGARIA – The right-wing Patriotic Front is a junior partner in the conservative government of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. The party is pro-Russian and anti-immigrant but has significantly softened its rhetoric since entering the government. It now claims to support a “new EU” in which Bulgaria has a better place.
DENMARK – The anti-immigrant populist Danish People’s Party supports Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his minority right-center government on many issues but opposes EU membership. Although it was the second-largest party in the country after the 2015 elections, it decided not to enter the government but rather to support the minority government in exchange for stricter asylum regulations.
FINLAND – Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilä included the populist, euroskeptic Finns Party in his right-center coalition in 2015. This was the first time that the party, which first entered parliament in 2003, became part of the government. However, the party split in June due to the election of anti-immigrant radical Jussi Halla-aho as the new party leader.
FRANCE – National Front leader Marine Le Pen won 21.3 percent of the votes in the first round of this year’s presidential elections, the highest ever in the party’s history. Attracting voters from impoverished working-class communities in the north and east of the country as well as from the traditionally conservative southeast, the party seeks to soften its image and even expelled its founder Jean-Marie Le Pen due to repeated Holocaust denial. The “de-demonization” strategy seems to have helped it win more votes, but it still cannot compete with mainstream parties.
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GREECE – The Golden Dawn party has become increasingly popular since the financial crash of 2010. Between 2009 and 2012, its support jumped from less than one to seven percent. However, it has not been doing well since its leaders clashed with the law after a party member killed an anti-fascist rapper in 2013, leading many to call for the party’s ban. It is now the fourth largest in parliament with 17 representatives.
HUNGARY – Prime Minister Viktor Orban has used the migrant crisis to oppose German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s calls for Europe to accept refugees. In power since 2010, after a brief rule from 1998 to 2002, he is becoming increasingly authoritarian, anti-European, and anti-liberal, often clashing with Brussels. The strengthening of the political right in Hungary is maintained by the strengthening of the more extreme Jobbik party and the recent emergence of new far-right parties.
ITALY – The far-right party has existed in parliament since 1948. However, the neo-fascist MSI, whose share of the vote varied between two and nine percent, has always been overshadowed by mainstream parties. It then transformed into the more moderate AN in the 1990s and entered the coalition government of Silvio Berlusconi. Today, Italy has several far-right parties. The most successful is the anti-immigrant Northern League. According to polls, it is the third most popular party in the country, supported by about 15 percent of voters.
NETHERLANDS – The Party for Freedom (PVV), which is essentially a ‘one-man show’ of the eccentric populist Geert Wilders, has been the strongest far-right party in the country since World War II. It opposes the spread of Islam and the acceptance of refugees.
POLAND – The ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) has governed with an absolute majority since 2015. It opposes the acceptance of Muslim migrants, and the international community is concerned about its efforts to bring the courts and media under its control. This has led to conflicts with the EU.
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SWEDEN – The anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats have been the third largest party in parliament since 2014 and could become the second. Party leader Jimmie Åkesson says they are close to the AfD. The ruling coalition in parliament refuses to cooperate with them, although the opposition coalition is toying with the idea of gaining tacit support from the Sweden Democrats.
SWITZERLAND – The Swiss People’s Party (SVP) is the strongest in the country and has received more than a quarter of the votes in elections since 2003. The party is angry when called far-right, but its campaigns against Muslims, minarets, and immigrants strongly resemble those of other European nationalist parties. Despite electoral successes, the SVP has only limited power as Swiss governments traditionally include members from all major parties.
