Far-right parties in France and the Netherlands rushed to agree alliances yesterday after a surprising surge in support in European Parliament elections.
In France, the leader of the conservative Les Republicains party, Eric Ciotti, called for an alliance with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) party in early elections this month.
Le Pen welcomed his announcement as a “courageous decision”, although senior members of Ciotti’s party accused him of treason and called on him to resign. It is the first time a traditional party leader has backed an alliance with RN, which could see the parties field joint candidates or agree not to oppose each other.
In the Netherlands, populist leader Geert Wilders said the four parties negotiating to form a coalition government had reached agreement on a cabinet team.
Eric Ciotti called for an alliance with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) (pictured)
Geert Wilders said the four parties negotiating to form a coalition government had reached agreement on a cabinet team.
Wilders, whose Freedom Party won the national election more than six months ago and came second in the Dutch European Parliament vote at the weekend, said: “There is an agreement, you will hear more in the coming hours or days.” Future ministers still face obstacles before a new government can be sworn in, but an agreement on the coalition cabinet would be a key step towards forming the first Dutch government led by a far-right party. Elsewhere, Austria became the latest European country to announce elections, which will be held in September.
The far-right Freedom Party narrowly won the country’s European Parliament election for the first time, part of a surge in support across much of the continent, and polls suggest it has a clear lead in the election. national.
Voter turnout in the weekend’s European elections was 50.93 percent, a slight increase from the 50.66 who voted in 2019.
The far-right Freedom Party narrowly won the country’s European Parliament elections for the first time. (Police walk past burning rubbish during an ‘anti-fascist demonstration’ following the results of the European elections, in Toulouse)
The left-wing parties have agreed to form an alliance to try to prevent RN from obtaining a majority in the two-round national elections on June 30 and July 7. (Activists and protesters participate in an “anti-fascist demonstration”).
The center-right European People’s Party remained the largest in the European Parliament, but the increase in seats for far-right parties will lead to greater calls for tougher immigration policies.
In France, President Emmanuel Macron denied accusations that he had recklessly risked the country’s political future by calling early elections, saying it was “a gesture of great confidence in the French people.”
A poll on Monday suggested 19 percent of voters would support Macron’s party, and 34 percent would vote for RN.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire admitted that the country could face “a regime crisis.”
Left parties have agreed to form an alliance in a bid to prevent RN from winning a majority in the two-round national elections to be held on June 30 and July 7.
