On Sunday, immediately after learning that the far-right formation National Groupthe match of Marine Le Penwon the European elections in FrancePresident Emmanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called early legislative elections for June 30.

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a televised address to the nation during which he announced that he will dissolve the National Assembly. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP).

/ LUDOVIC MARIN

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In Germanythe far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) He surpassed the Social Democrats of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and this Monday asked him to follow Macron’s example and call early elections, something that was rejected by the Government.

Members of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) celebrate the results of the European Parliament elections.  (Photo by RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP).

Members of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) celebrate the results of the European Parliament elections. (Photo by RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP).

/ RALF HIRSCHBERGER

In Italythe far-right party of the prime minister Giorgia Meloni won more than twice as many seats as it had in the European Parliament.

The new European Parliament.  (AFP).

The new European Parliament. (AFP).

Despite the advance of the extreme right, The sum of the moderate right, the social democrats and the centrist liberals will continue to be the majority in the European Parliament.

However, thanks to the results achieved, the far right can now delay decision-making and the approval of legislation on issues ranging from climate change to agricultural subsidies.

The Prime Minister of Italy and leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, Giorgia Meloni, celebrates the results of the European elections.  (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP).

The Prime Minister of Italy and leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, Giorgia Meloni, celebrates the results of the European elections. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP).

/ FILIPPO MONTEFORTE

20 years of sustained rise

Thus, at this point it is worth explaining the Why the rise of the far right in Europewhich is already the first political force in nations such as France, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria.

First we have to analyze how the performance of the extreme right in previous elections for the European Parliament. 20 years ago, MEPs from eurosceptic groups and the extreme right represented only 8.7% of the entire chamber, this figure increased after the 2009 (11.8%), 2014 (15.7%) and 2019 (18%) elections. And now, with preliminary results, they stand at 18.2%.

At this point, it must be taken into account that the extreme right In the European Parliament it is made up of two groups: Identity and Democracy (ID) and European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). For the new five-year period, both will add 131 seats (out of a total of 720), four more than the current ones.

Regarding the urgent issues for far-right voters, according to a macro survey carried out by Ipsos for Euronews in 18 European countries between February 23 and March 5, they think that the priority of politicians should be stop immigration, fight against price increases, improve the purchasing power of European citizens. Also They oppose supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia.

The leader of the French far-right National Rally (RN) party, Marine Le Pen, and the party's president, Jordan Bardella, arrive on stage to address militants after the European elections.  (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP).

The leader of the French far-right National Rally (RN) party, Marine Le Pen, and the party’s president, Jordan Bardella, arrive on stage to address militants after the European elections. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP).

/ JULIEN DE ROSA

Why is the extreme right growing?

Rodrigo MurilloPeruvian historian and political scientist living in France, explains to Trade that the rise of the extreme right in Europe is due to three factors: “The first concern of European voters is purchasing power, the euro is increasingly worth less, people have trouble making ends meet. Secondly, there is a degradation of public services, that is, if before the European found a place in a public school in his neighborhood for his child with a good teacher and a good educational level, he cannot find it today, and so too It happens with hospitals and with a series of services that defined the welfare state. A third element is the control of illegal migration. Europeans are concerned about this issue because several studies have shown that there is a direct relationship between irregular migration and assaults, rapes, and murders,” he maintains.

Murillo explains that The response of the traditional, democratic and liberal parties to these three problems has not been effective. He gives as an example the left, which maintains its discourse of open borders, greater subsidies and higher taxes, so dissatisfied citizens turn to the other side of the political discourse, that of the extreme right that promises zero migration, greater security, less taxes. “It tells you that you will have more money to pay for private education and health, a reactivation of the idealized economy,” says the analyst.

But why don’t the traditional right or left solve the European problem? “The European Union never assumed that there would be groups in Europe that do not want freedom, who do not want diversity, who do not want equality. Today, for example, there are groups of radicalized Muslim citizens who do not want any of these freedoms. The European political-legal system, when it was born, never assumed that this could happen. Probably the solution will have to be European and not national, and until we reach that point of refounding the European Union With the vote of all its citizens, they will have to go through many years of uncertainty and instability,” Murillo remarks.

Francesco Tucci, an Italian internationalist and professor at the UPC and PUCP, maintains that Sunday’s result was foreseeable, especially due to the crisis in Europe, which is related to the war in Ukraine. He assures that the strong sanctions applied against Russia They have a boomerang effect, since they have generated a very high cost in terms of inflation, the cost of living has skyrocketed in all European countries, causing discontent, and the result was reflected in the European elections.

“The performance of the economies of different European countries has worsened significantly. Furthermore, there is a democratic deficit in the European Union, practically only the European Parliament is elective, the other bodies are not. And that determines that there is a distrust on the part of public opinion that has favored the center-right parties and, above all, the far-right parties,” says Tucci.

Another cause that Tucci identifies is the poor governance of irregular migration by community bodies, something that has favored xenophobia and racism. Remember that the migration crisis began in 2015 and to date there is no solution. “There has been a lack of solidarity in the European Union, because the first reception countries, such as Italy, Spain, Greece, had a great burden while those in Eastern Europe were against the quotas to receive migrants.”

Enrique Banusdirector of the Institute of European Studies at UDEP, highlights that The rise of the extreme right is not uniform. He notes that in Scandinavian countries such as Denmark, Finland, Sweden, they have decreased considerablyand that has meant that the growth has not been as overwhelming as expected.

“They have grown, but without controlling the pro-European bloc. In the European Parliament, the big issue is whether you are pro-integration or anti-European and whether the national State has more importance,” highlights Banús.

Banús agrees that the extreme right has grown due to discontent with governments, which are not capable of solving problems such as the migrationwhere in the midst of discontent and confusion, it is very easy for far-right parties to appeal to populist solutions.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron leave the voting booths during the European Parliament elections.  (EFE/EPA/Hannah McKay).

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron leave the voting booths during the European Parliament elections. (EFE/EPA/Hannah McKay).

/ Hannah McKay / POOL

What is Macron looking for by bringing forward the legislative elections?

Rodrigo Murillo Maintains that In the past, Macron has been accused of behaving like a kind of monarch. He recalled that even a few weeks ago, while in the polls the French demanded control of migration, lower taxes, greater security, better public services, the president paraded with Joe Biden, with Volodymyr Zelensky, and made statements in favor of peace in Palestine. “He seemed like a man totally disconnected from the difficult reality at all levels that France suffers.”.

“Now he has silenced many of his critics and has returned to the people the possibility of reformulating the National Assembly. What he basically wants to do is this: the presidential elections are in 2027, and according to the polls, Marine Le Pen’s extreme right would win. If Macron allows the right-wing and far-right bloc to obtain a majority and thus have the possibility of forming a government, it will be revealed that these forces will not be able to solve the country’s problems. And in that context, they will arrive much more worn out at the 2027 elections. It is a strategic move by Macron, he wants this political proposal to be revealed as a big lie, because it is true, neither the right nor the extreme right have great proposals. On the economic issue, his speech attacks migration and insecurity more. But the mother of the lamb is the economy,” says Murillo.

For Tucci, with the dissolution of the National Assembly Macron wants to reverse the minority government he has. “Now the word is up to the French, if they want to follow the anti-European trend in local elections, or if they want to stop the rise of the extreme right, let’s see if it works out. The French vote is rational, they weigh very well what they will do, it is not volatile, they reason a lot, they have a great tradition of political culture.”



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