Europe ought to fight off right-wing scare
With populists in power, liberals have a responsibility to hold them to account and offer an alternative vision
pcoming elections in the Netherlands, France and Germany will be held in what is arguably the most febrile political environment since the European Union’s creation. The post-war liberal democratic order is under threat everywhere, but particularly in Europe, where the EU is confronting challenges that include an increasingly aggressive Russia, the constant threat of terrorism, democratic disenfranchisement and uneven economic growth.
Following the United Kingdom’s Brexit referendum and Donald Trump’s election as United States President, the question facing Europe is straightforward: Will populist and nationalist forces exert the same influence in core countries of the EU?
In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders and his far-right Freedom Party are polling strongly ahead of next month’s election. Wilders approves of Trump’s executive order barring entry to the US for anyone from seven Muslim-majority countries. Like Trump’s chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, Wilders views the world through a racist prism, and he believes that he is engaged in a battle to save western civilisation from Islam.
No other Dutch parliamentary party holds such views, so a Wilders-led government is still far from certain. With Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte holding his ground, Wilders will most likely be denied power in the end.
Meanwhile, in France, far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen is currently ahead in the polls for the presidential election, which will be decided in two rounds in April and May. Le Pen has promised to hold a referendum on France’s membership in the Eurozone, despite warnings from the Bank of France that leaving the monetary union could increase the French national debt by €30 billion (Dh116.15 billion) annually. She has also expressed a desire to dismantle such fundamental components of European integration as free movement for European citizens.
Former prime minister of Belgium
Dangerous nationalist demons
In the United Kingdom’s Brexit referendum and the US presidential election, voters from large metropolitan areas overwhelmingly supported ‘Remain’ and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, respectively. We will likely see a similar pattern in the French election. But while older voters have fuelled resurgent British and American nationalism, Le Pen owes much of her support to younger cohorts. A Le Pen victory would undoubtedly destabilise Europe politically and economically. With the dangerous nationalist demons of Europe’s past unleashed, the EU as we know it could easily disintegrate. But those who believe in liberal democracy, the rule of law and European integration still have time to mobilise around an alternative candidate.
In Germany’s election later this year, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is unlikely to be able to mount a credible bid for the Chancellery. But the next chancellor — whether it is Martin Schulz of the Social Democrats or Chancellor Angela Merkel — will have to lead a global coalition of the willing to defend what is left of the post-war order. Such an effort should include Canada, Australia and western allies in Asia, but it must start by putting Europe’s house back in order.
While former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, Wilders, Le Pen, and their peers continue to pose as plucky antiestablishment underdogs, this conceit is wearing thin, owing to their own success — and, in Ukip’s case, to financial scandals.
Meanwhile, new pro-European centrist movements have already sprang up across Europe, from Nowoczesna (Modern) in Poland to Ciudadanos (Citizens) in Spain. These parties do not peddle lies, and they do not owe their success to Russian-sponsored propaganda bots or social-media trolls. Now that some populists have come to power, liberals have a responsibility to hold them to account and offer an alternative vision. Belittling the people who voted for Brexit, Trump, and their European equivalents is not a sound strategy. The new global demagogues must be judged by their deeds and vanquished with truth, reason and respect for democracy. Guy Verhofstadt is also president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group in the European Parliament.