European political landscape after the EP election

A pro-government analyst predicts that new rifts will emerge in the EU after centrist mainstream parties lost ground at the European Parliamentary elections. A left-wing commentator hopes that centrist conservatives, socialists and liberals will create a strong core that keeps nationalists parties at bay.

In Magyar Nemzet, Tamás Fricz predicts that EU politics will become even more polarized after the EP election. The pro-government analyst interprets the election results as an indication of the decline of mainstream centrist parties on both the Left and Right. As liberal and EU-critical nationalist parties become stronger, politics in the EU will increasingly be dominated by the rift between ‘pro-migration, multiculturalist globalists advocating a United States of Europe’ and ‘anti-immigration sovereigntists defending nations and Christian heritage’, Fricz writes. He suggests that Hungarians voted for Fidesz because they want to stop migration, are concerned about foreigners and intruders harming their families, and want to protect their country’s national sovereignty.

Népszava’s Tamás Rónay finds it reassuring that right-wing populists gained less seats in the EP than many expected. The left-wing commentator acknowledges that the European People’s Party and the Party of the European Socialists do not have enough seats to secure a majority in the EP, but thinks that by involving liberal and green parties as well, they can create a strong coalition of centrist parties opposing those he calls ‘authoritarian populists’. As for Hungary’s prospects, Rónay contends that Fidesz has alienated itself from the EPP, and therefore will have no say in the distribution of key EU positions.

Tags: EP election, EPP, European Parliament, Fidesz, Orbán