Following the June 6-9 elections in the European Parliament (EP), populist right parties have significantly outperformed liberals, securing a majority in the Parliament. This outcome has raised speculation about the formation of a "far-right" political alliance.

The elections sent shock waves across the 27 member countries of the European Union. The impact of these elections reverberated not only within these member countries but also resonated globally, particularly affecting nations like France and several others. These electoral results may prompt earlier-than-expected national elections.

Marine Le Pen's National Rally (RN) party in France, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Germany and Giorgia Meloni's Fratelli d’Italia in Italy have surged to power, garnering significant percentages of the votes. These results underscore a concerning trend of far-right ideologies drawing inspiration from historical precedents like Adolf Hitler’s Germany and Benito Mussolini’s Italy, posing a threat to Europe.

The main source that contributes to this trend is populist rhetoric. Especially far-right parties gain public opinion support by promoting populism against migration, Islamophobia and terrorism.

The far-right figure in Europe who effectively employed such rhetoric is Geert Wilders of the Party for Freedom (PVV) from the Netherlands. Known for his staunch opposition to Muslims and migration, Wilders frequently emphasized this stance in the lead-up to the EP elections. It is widely speculated that Wilders played a pivotal role in the electoral success of far-right parties. The emerging political landscape suggests the formation of a new alliance, with the architects of this alliance emerging as the primary beneficiaries of the elections.

Far-right alliance in Europe

When the results of the elections were announced, we saw that the three major states of the EU (France, Italy and Germany) had the same political point of view. These countries have Nazi experience, big crises and the Holocaust in their histories. Are Nazism and extremism gaining power again? Does Nazism gain power via a liberal version? It is necessary to examine methods to understand it.

These same methods can be understood from the missions and works of the groups that are in the European Parliament. The European People's Party Group (EPP Group), the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and the Identity and Democracy Party (ID) groups that represent the far-right in the Parliament have become more powerful by getting the right parties’ support.

These groups have not lost their power after the exit of the AfD. In this case, Brexit (the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU) plays a crucial role. The U.K. has shown that determining and applying its own climate, migration, economic, interior and external security policies independently without any interruption coincides with its interest. The opinion of the U.K. about the EU was demonstrated via Brexit, and it seems that the emptiness was filled by Meloni leading.

When we look at the other successes of the election, it can be easily said a far-right trend in EU countries has started. Before the elections, German politician and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, supported the far-right. Von der Leyen once emphasized that he had good relations with Italian Premier Meloni and French opposition figure Le Pen and the best way is far-right ideologies for countries including Germany.

The same act can be seen in the "Migration and Asylum Agreement," which was presented in 2023 and passed by the EP this year. This pact indicates that far-right opinions of Europe can become more powerful. This possibility was affirmed by the results of the elections. It means that the far-right trend will become more undeniable and increase impact incrementally.

Could France, which decided to hold early elections, cause other early elections in EU countries and Germany?

After the June 6-9 elections, votes of French President Emmanuel Macron’s liberal Renaissance party declined to 15%. Taking 32% of the votes and winning the EP elections in the country by Le Pen’s National Rally (its main competitor) caused a huge disappointment. Just after this checkmate, Macron decided to cancel the Parliament and organize early elections. The first one will be held on June 30, and the second one will be held on July 7. Macron said that there were irregularities in the previous elections, and said, "I have heard your message and We won’t submit to the far right." Because he has anxiety about the probability of interruption to national politics by the far-right and even about the possibility of Le Pen or National Front President Jordan Bardella being able to become the new president.

After the June 6-9 elections, French President Emmanuel Macron's liberal Renaissance party saw its vote share decline to 15%. The National Rally, led by Macron's main competitor, Le Pen, secured 32% of the votes, causing significant disappointment. In response to this setback, Macron decided to dissolve Parliament and called for early elections scheduled for June 30 and July 7. Macron cited irregularities in the previous elections and stated, "I have heard your message, and we won't yield to the far-right."

He also expressed concern about the potential disruption to national politics by the far-right and the possibility of Le Pen or Bardella succeeding him as president.

Similarly to France, Germany's Social Democrat Party (SPD), which was the strongest party in the coalition government, fell into third place. This situation may force German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to hold an early election in the future, although he is currently fending off the allegations. The idea of going into early elections with the support of the EPP has been mentioned, and von der Leyen, a member of the EPP, has been involved in these discussions.

This case shows that Western and Eastern distinctions and Eastern German missions still exist. The decisions of the other 25 countries about either going into early elections or not remain uncertain.