Hungary’s ruling party’s bid to lead European populists has sparked interest, but could soon clash with rivals from Italy and France
The new one far-right alliance ‘Patriots for Europe’released just two days ago, is already attracting suitors, reflecting a broader struggle for power among EU nationalists.
Announced on June 30 by radical parties from Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic, the Patriots aspire to become the largest group of extreme right of Parliament European, and without a doubt there are many options to increase the number of members.
A day later, it was reported that the party Portuguese right-wing populist Chega! was about to sign the manifesto of the new group. This could mean the incorporation of three other MEPs to the alliance, whose founders include Fidesz of Viktor Orbánthe Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) of Herbert Kickl and the ANO of former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis.
The alliance is “growing at an incredible rate, faster than anyone thinks now,” Viktor Orbán said in a interview with Hungarian television channel M1 on Monday night. The far-right Lega Italian also seems to be flirting with the idea, according to comments from its leader Matteo Salvini.
“We are evaluating all the documents, but I think that forming a large group that aspires to be the third largest in the European Parliament may be the right path,” Salvini said yesterday in a radio program.**
Chega and Lega, unite
So much Chega! as Lega currently sit with the nationalist groupIdentity and Democracy (ID), the fifth largest in Parliament, whose current cohort of 58 MEPs It is dominated by 30 from Marine Le Pen’s National Rally.
But the incorporation of Italians and Portuguese it would not make the Patriots a formal group, the mechanism by which money and influence are distributed in the European Parliament.
With ten MEPs from Fidesz, seven from ANO, six from FPÖ, two from Chega! and potentially eight from Lega, could start with 33 MEPshealthily for above the threshold of 25 established by the rules of the European Parliament.
But they would still need two countries to meet the requirement to host MEPs of seven EU members, and would also have to demonstrate that they share the same political affinity.
“Another four or five days and many people will be surprised,” the Hungarian Prime Minister said in his interview, expecting the group to become “very quickly the third and then the second largest group” in the EU chamber.
Which parties could join next?
Other far-right and conservative parties observe, but do not commit. The turning point for Orbán’s Patriots would be to convince the Polish Law and Justice party (PiS) about what leave the group of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), where share leadership with the Brothers of Italy by Giorgia Meloni.
The meeting of the ECR constituent group was delayed to this week after the internal negotiationsat the same time that they began to rumors spread on Orbán’s attempt to unite nationalist parties.
The loss of the 20 Polish MEPs would seriously weaken the ECR, currently the third largest in Parliamentand would undermine Meloni’s influence before a key vote to reappoint Ursula von der Leyen as head of the European Commission.
The Patriots group could affect the ID group even more. If the Dutchman Geert Wilders takes his six MEPs from the ID to the Patriots, the Belgian Vlaams Belang could follow him. Gerolf Annemans, the most influential MEP from Vlaams Belang, showed he was watching closely when he shared Orbán’s announcement on social media.
There is also the Alternative for Germany (AfD), whose 15 European legislators are currently suspended from militancyand that has been in contact with the Patriotsaccording to parliamentary sources.
Even without PiS, a group of Patriots supplemented from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium could try to become the third largest group in the chamber of the EU, and possibly also force Le Pen, currently distracted by the prospect of victory in the French elections, to join.
But maybe not all independent MEPs are interested. Apparently, the Slovak SMER party is about to rejoin the socialist groupMeanwhile he Italian Five Star Movement has a different political trajectory, in addition to a long dispute with Lega. Others, like the small Spanish anti-system group ‘The party is over’, led by the Social media personality Alvise Pérezthey could still be convinced.
Desafiando the Meloni-Le Pen duopoly
The competition reflects the tensions between the European far-right parties. Orbán currently has fewer MEPs than Meloni or Le Pen, and this is an opportunity to gain influence and present yourself as the founding father of a new alliance of extreme right.
ADVERTISINGThe constituent meetings of both ID and ECR have been postponed, but the clock is ticking, with the deadline for group formation next Thursday (July 4). This deadline is often considered crucial, as the size of the group determines access to key positions within the Parliament structure.
It remains to be seen whether that reasoning remains valid, given that the cordon sanitaire effectively prevents the far right from accessing many influential positions. Some national delegations of the European parties, including PiS, would have submitted a request to extend the deadline until July 8. A source of far-right group ID confirmed to Euronews that they had asked to delay their founding meeting, initially scheduled for tomorrow (July 3).
In his television interview on Monday, Viktor Orbán said that his group, Patriotaswill celebrate his constituent meeting next Monday (July 8), beyond Parliament’s official deadline.
