Europe expected to move right in EU elections amid voter anger over illegal immigration, crime, economy
FOX NewsMay 22
EU Elections Kick off in the Netherlands
Above: Flags of the European Union on June 6, 2024 in The Hague, Netherlands. Image copyright: Pierre Crom/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The European Union's four-day parliamentary elections kicked off Thursday in the Netherlands, where exit polls show Prime Minister Geert Wilders' Party for Freedom (PVV) making strong gains.
Wilders' party won last year's national election, riding a wave of populism and nationalism growing in Europe. However, he failed to win a seat in the previous EU elections in 2019.
The Spin
Right narrative
The European Parliament elections come at a critical moment for Europeans who are dissatisfied with the EU's open-border policies. While counterintuitive, Eurosceptics and nationalists must vote in the elections to ensure that the 27-member bloc is filled with members who respect national sovereignty. The European right is making a major comeback at the national level, and that momentum must be carried into the elections.
Left narrative
The European far-right appears to be making electoral gains but is unlikely to become an influential player in European politics. The right-wing continues to be divided on many fronts, and those divisions will derail any advancement of far-right ideology. However, it's still important for liberals to vote in the elections and maintain a more mainstream coalition. The biggest fear is that the far-right infiltrates more mainstream parties on the center-right.