Europe’s far right shift

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Europe has been facing a political crisis. Many European countries have elected far-right governments, representing a substantial political shift across Europe.

In 2022, the Italian far-right party—Brothers of Italy—won Italy’s general election, with Giorgia Meloni becoming the country’s first far-right leader since Mussolini. Four years prior, Brothers of Italy had won just over 4% of the general vote, but due to staying out of the national unity government that collapsed in July of the same year, they were unaffected and gained popularity.

On June 9th, French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the French parliament and called a snap election after a defeat in the European elections. This election ended in a win for Macron’s liberal government, but it required many left wing and centrist candidates to exit the election in the second round to avoid splitting votes. Despite France’s left-wing parties beating the Nation Rally (France’s far-right party), Macron is facing record low approval ratings.

There have been many causes to this European far-right shift. While long lasting issues such as immigration may contribute to this shift, it is more likely that it is due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The invasion saw food prices soar in Europe as the 2 largest producers in agriculture and food globally – Russia and Ukraine – sunk their resources into a war that has led to massive damages to soil quality and arability in the ‘breadbasket of Europe’. Furthermore, this war has massively destabilized Europe’s political scene, causing those fearing a collapse in the once stable European governments to vote for the far right. 

Sources: Associated Press, Politico, BBC, The Conversation, CNN, Economic Observatory, Bloomberg