The European Parliament could be paralyzed if ‘far-right’ parties win a significant number of seats in the June elections, overturning the current dominance of pro-European political groups, Manfred Weber, President of the European People’s Party (EPP), told Bloomberg. The German politician ruled out the possibility of cooperation with parties he labelled as far-right, such as the French National Rally (NR), the Polish Law and Justice (PiS), the German Alternative for Germany (AfD), and the Hungarian Fidesz. ‘My red line is pro-European, pro-Ukraine, pro-rule of law,’ Manfred Weber said.
The EPP President has recently entered a spectacular campaign mode, with a central element of stigmatization and demonization of the right-wing parties and leaders that are gaining strength across Europe.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán seems to ‘enjoy’ his special attention.
Weber has not shied away from criticizing PM Orbán, on several occasions calling him pro-Russian for his dissenting stance on Ukraine from the Western mainstream. ‘We are Christian Democrats, and we will not let our Europe be destroyed by extremists like the Polish PiS, Viktor Orbán, the AfD, and Marine Le Pen. All those who question the very essence of Europe, who propagate nationalism and selfishness,’ the EPP President said in a recent interview with La Repubblica.
As Hungarian Conservative has reported, the European Parliament elections on 6–9 June are predicted to be an unprecedented right-wing success. According to POLITICO, the political group Identity and Democracy (ID), which includes AfD, could win 81 seats, compared to 59 seats currently, while the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) could win 77 seats, compared to the 70 seats they hold currently. The EPP is projected to remain the largest party in the EP with 173 seats, followed by the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) with 138 seats. According to a survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations, the ECR and ID groups together may end up accounting for 25 per cent of MEPs, and have more seats combined than the EPP or the S&D for the first time in their history.
In the aforementioned interview with Bloomberg, Weber said the EPP is ready to work with right-wing ‘democratic partners’ such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala—members of the ECR. Ursula von der Leyen, who recently announced her candidacy for a second term as Commission President, echoed similar sentiments, stating that certain conditions must be met to be able to work with right-wing political groups and parties. ‘The cut-off line is “do you stand for democracy?”, “do you defend our values?”, “are you very firm in the rule of law?”, “are you supporting Ukraine” and “are you fighting against Putin’s attempt to weaken and divide Europe?” And these answers have to be very clear,’ von der Leyen underlined. The Commission President did not give a straight answer as to whether she would cooperate with the ECR after the elections.
Where will Fidesz MEPs Sit?
This statements are also notable in light of press reports indicating discussions between the ECR and Fidesz regarding the potential inclusion of the Hungarian governing party into the right-wing political group following the elections. Fidesz departed from EPP in March 2021, following the introduction of a revised code of procedure within the political group. Consequently, Fidesz MEPs have been functioning as independents within the EP since then. However, this status quo may shift subsequent to the upcoming elections. Such a move would mark a significant enhancement for the ECR, particularly given projections suggesting Fidesz’s potential acquisition of 14 out of 21 Hungarian MEP seats.
Simultaneously, consensus within ECR regarding the inclusion of the Hungarian government party into their fold remains elusive. POLITICO reports divergent viewpoints within the group, with the Czech, Swedish, and Finnish parties harbouring reservations about such integration. Conversely, parties like the
Spanish Vox and the Polish PiS advocate for Fidesz’s membership within the ECR to be endorsed.
However, the ECR is not the only political group that expresses a desire to include Fidesz among its ranks. In an interview with Hungarian Conservative, Maximilian Krah, the European top candidate of AfD, stated: ‘We would not throw Fidesz out of our bed, but they have to come.’ Similar sentiments were echoed by ID deputy chairman Gunnar Beck, who conveyed to Euractiv in an interview that their political group would welcome Fidesz.
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