Rise of the Far Right in Europe: Focus on France

Europe has witnessed a political shift in recent years with the rise of far-right parties, particularly in France. This was evident during the 2024 European Elections, underscoring Europe’s broad shift towards right-wing politics as a response to world events and rising nationalism. This rise in nationalism is shifting political dynamics and harboring exclusionary practices, while threatening political instability in France.

The European elections

The European elections, held every five years, allows citizens across the European Union’s 27 member states to elect members of the European Parliament responsible for legislative functions affecting the entire region. Citizens from each country vote for the political party they wish to see represented in the EU, and members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are allocated based on each country’s population size. For example, Germany, as the most populous country in the EU, has 96 MEPs, while France has 81 MEPs, and Italy 76 MEPs. Conversely, smaller countries like Malta and Cyprus have six MEPs each. The 2024 elections, held from June 6 to June 9 shocked many, as the European Parliament saw a record number of far-right legislators from numerous member states. In Italy, the Brothers of Italy party with neo-fascist roots won 28.7 per cent of the votes; Germany’s extreme right AfD party with scandals linked to Nazi propaganda placed second, with 16 per cent of the votes. 

In France, Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National party won 31 per cent of the votes, twice as much as President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party. The increase in support for the Rassemblement National is remarkable – in the 2019 election, it won only 23 per cent of the votes, standing equal to the President’s Parti Renaissance. Seemingly, the party’s policies,  colored by both fascism and anti-immigration stances alongside leaders who openly question France’s EU membership, are now favored by a significant amount of French voters.

Marine le Pen at a Front National rally in 2012. “Meeting 1er mai 2012 Front National” by Blandine Le Cain is licensed under CC by 2.0.

Aftermath in France
These results pushed Emmanuel Macron to dissolve the National Assembly on June 9 2024, ending the mandates of the current deputies and prime minister prematurely, and to call for snap elections on June 30 and July 7. The National Assembly must represent the views of the French people, enact laws, and remove the executive government through a vote of censure if needed. As such, Macron aimed to establish a new majority, considering the European election results indicated a shift towards far-right views among the French population. In response, left-wing parties formed an alliance known as the Nouveau Front Populaire, led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon of La France Insoumise (LFI), along with the Socialist party and the Greens. This coalition represented a unified left-wing front against the rising far-right. 

Many political analysts viewed Macron’s decision as risky, as 245 out of 577 existing deputies belonged to his political party. These new elections posed the risk of him losing his close majority. On June 30, the far-right Rassemblement National party won 33.1 per cent of the votes, surpassing all other parties. The coalition of left-wing parties won 28 per cent of the votes, while Macron’s current political party, Ensemble, won 21 per cent. In the second round on July 7, the leftist Nouveau Front Populaire won 182 seats, while Macron’s Ensemble party won 163 seats, and the Rassemblement National won 143 seats. Since the Nouveau Front Populaire won the most seats, a prime minister from their camp will be elected, leading Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to resign on July 7. 

Although this is a win for the left coalition, with all three political camps having nearly equal votes, the winning party may still struggle to pass laws due to opposition. Additionally, despite the defeat of the right-wing Rassemblement National, they achieved an increase from 89 seats to 143 seats, setting a new record in France. This party also received the highest number of votes – over 10 million – in a striking comparison to Mélenchon’s Nouveau Front Populaire and Macron’s Ensemble which received around seven million votes each.

Implications for France and Europe

In France, the far-right coalition now represents one-third of the population, highlighting a shift in political and social dynamics. Béatrice Giblin notes that right-wing parties in France, particularly the Rassemblement National, blame immigration for issues like unemployment, delinquency, and crime, emphasizing the financial strain of social welfare payments to foreigners and their families. Far-right figures like Éric Zemmour, founder of the French party Reconquête, argue that France is undergoing a “great replacement.” This is a theory suggesting that people of French descent are being displaced by African and Arab immigrants who are purportedly having larger families. This narrative, which emphasizes the supposed erosion of French culture, gains traction through the far-right’s campaign rhetoric. 

The Rassemblement National has also capitalized on past events, such as the September 11, 2001 attacks, the March 2004 Madrid bombings, and the July 2005 London bombings, to frame immigrants that come from Islamic-majority countries as a threat to France’s national identity. They have exploited incidents like the 2010 kidnapping of French citizens by Al Qaeda in Niger and France’s status as the country with the highest number of terrorist attacks in the EU, to suggest that Islam and terrorism are linked. Throughout their campaigns, they focused on policies aimed at limiting immigration, cutting social welfare spending, and proposing measures such as making bi-national citizens ineligible for high governmental positions. This is evident in the national assembly debate on June 25 where Jordan Bardella, a potential prime minister candidate for the Rassemblement National, reinforced these beliefs. Bardella’s popularity, at just 28 years old, further underscores the generational shift within the far-right movement. Traditionally, the majority of French politicians have completed long post-secondary studies at elite institutions, which is often seen as a marker of preparedness for high office. This is especially true given that France is home to some of the world’s top universities in political science, such as Sciences Po. However, the fact that Bardella garnered significant support despite only having a high school diploma is indicative of the changing political landscape in the country.

This political shift also extends to Europe as a whole. As emphasized by Armida van Rij et al., while far-right parties in Europe did not perform as well as expected in the European elections, the support for nationalism, populism, and Euroscepticism has increased across the EU. This growing influence is evident in the policies taken by the European Parliament, where far-right parties now push for stricter migration controls, oppose the Green Deal and other climate initiatives, and take a less favourable stance on supporting Ukraine amid the Russia-Ukraine war that erupted in 2021.

The growing influence of far-right ideologies in France and across Europe is troubling, as they continue to promote divisive anti-immigration stances and misconstrue the role of Islam and immigration in societal issues. Yet, it seems this trend will only continue to grow stronger. The rise of the far right in France, marked by the Rassemblement National’s electoral gains, signals a significant shift in the country’s political landscape. This movement taps into growing fears over immigration, economic insecurity, and national identity, leading to policies that could undermine France’s social cohesion and democratic principles. Further, it challenges the EU’s unity by promoting Euroscepticism. For Europe, this trend indicates a weakening of liberal democratic values, potentially altering the region’s approach to immigration, governance, and international cooperation.

In conclusion, the rise of the extreme right in France is a critical development with potential long-term impacts on French and European politics. Despite having lost in the recent French election, the rise of this ideology remains important to note, and the country’s future political landscape stands uncertain. The rise of the far right will likely continue across Europe as hostility towards immigration grows even greater, and only time will tell what the future holds for the continent’s political dynamics.

Featured image: EU Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. “European Parliament (Brussels)” by Xaf is licensed under CC by 2.0.

Edited by Aliyah Yagboyaju