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Commission president, who is seeking another term, took aim at group that includes AfD and National Rally in pre-election debateThe European Commission president, Ursula Von der Leyen, has criticised the far right as “Putin’s proxies”, while refusing to rule out working with other rightwing nationalists, as campaigning began ahead of June’s European elections.Von der Leyen is seeking a second five-year term leading the commission,...

Socialist prime minister poised to decide on his future, but some say it’s ploy to surviveOn Monday, Pedro Sánchez, the great and unpredictable survivor of Spanish politics, and a leader who has seen off more than his fair share of rivals, critics and adversaries, will reveal whether or not he intends to carry on as prime minister.The announcement will come five days after the...

Ex-soldier, conspiracy theorist, astrologer and anti-vaxxer among the first of 27 people on trial for trying to violently topple the German government – led by Heinrich XIII Prince ReussOne of the largest legal proceedings in German history is due to start on Monday with the first of three trials of a group of far-right conspiracists who planned to violently overthrow the country’s parliament.So sprawling...

Man worked as assistant to Maximilian Krah, top candidate in European parliament elections, say prosecutorsAn aide to a German far-right politician standing in the European elections in June has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, German prosecutors have said.The man, named only as Jian G, was accused of sharing information about negotiations at the European parliament with a Chinese intelligence service and...

Environmentalists fear focus on economy may undermine country’s climate transition – one of most radical in EuropePortugal has been among Europe’s more ambitious countries in terms of climate action, but the rise of the far right in recent elections could threaten the positive steps the country has taken.At the end of 2023, Portugal broke records as it went for six consecutive days relying solely...

Prosecutors claim influential AfD leader Björn Höcke used Nazi slogan ‘Everything for Germany!’ in speechOne of the most prominent figures in the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party has arrived in court for his trial on charges of using a Nazi slogan, months before a regional election in which he is running to become his state’s governor.Björn Höcke, 52, is the leader of the regional...

Proponents of legislation for bloc say it will take away far-right arguments but critics claim the oppositeThe European parliament is to vote on Wednesday on sweeping new laws to overhaul its migration policy amid renewed criticism that it is feeding the agenda of the extreme right rather than protecting vulnerable people.Ylva Johansson, the home affairs commissioner who was the driving force behind the legislation,...

Parliamentary elections thought vulnerable to fake news will test social media firms and bloc’s new DSA lawsSocial media firms including TikTok, X, Facebook and Instagram will be required to put an army of factcheckers and moderators in place with a collective knowledge of 24 EU languages amid fears that the European parliamentary elections will be a prime target for disinformation campaigns run by Russia...

Survey shows supporters of nationalist parties hold widely differing views on EU membership, migration and support for UkrainePopulist and nationalist parties fighting the European elections in June are deeply divided on almost all key issues, according to a survey, in a finding that questions their chances of defining the bloc’s agenda even in the event of a predicted far-right surge.However, the report, by the...

Civil liberties network says in states where far-right parties influence power, rule-of-law deterioration risks becoming systemicThe rule of law is declining across the EU as governments continue to weaken legal and democratic checks and balances, a leading civil liberties network has said, highlighting in particular a sharp rise in restrictions on the right to protest.Berlin-based Liberties said in its annual report, compiled with 37...

Four parties have agreed to pursue ‘extra-parliamentary’ cabinet, says mediator overseeing tense coalition talksDutch coalition talks will move on from exploratory discussions to more concrete negotiations aimed at forming a largely technocratic government, after the far-right leader Geert Wilders accepted he could not be prime minister.Four months after Wilders’ anti-Islam Freedom party (PVV) became the largest in parliament, Kim Putters, the former socialist senator...

Leader of far-right Freedom party, which came first in election last year, was unable to get all partners in a potential coalition onboardGeert Wilders, whose far-right Freedom party (PVV) shocked the Netherlands by finishing first in elections late last year, has conceded that he will not be the next prime minister because his potential coalition partners do not back him.“I can only become the...

Democratic Alliance leader Luis Montenegro says it will not rely on Chega party to governThe leader of Portugal’s centre-right Democratic Alliance, Luis Montenegro, has claimed victory after a closely contested parliamentary election that saw the far-right surge.With almost 99% of Sunday’s votes counted, the Democratic Alliance – an electoral platform made up of the large Social Democratic party (PSD) and two smaller conservative parties...

Election triggered by resignation of prime minister António Costa could see scandal-hit Socialist party ousted by rightwing coalitionThe Portuguese left and right are braced for a tight race as the country votes in its second snap general election in three years, a closely fought contest that is also expected to result in huge gains and a possible kingmaker role for the far-right Chega party.Sunday’s...

André Ventura is hoping discontent with mainstream politics will hand his Chega party a kingmaker roleTempting as the tables of savoury pastries were, and strong as the voice of the shaven-headed singer belting out Phil Collins was, they were not the lure that had drawn 200 people to a remote wedding venue in northern Portugal on a cold and ink-black Wednesday evening.Despite the sign...

President’s resignation shines light on gap between government’s behaviour and rhetoric as country prepares for local and European electionsA scandal rocking Hungarian politics is exposing Viktor Orbán’s vulnerabilities and testing his opposition as the country prepares for local and European elections in June.The Hungarian prime minister has been spending a significant amount of time travelling the globe in a quest to build up an...

Departure of NSC’s Pieter Omtzigt from coalition talks leaves Geert Wilders needing to negotiate, with several scenarios possibleEurope live – latest updatesForming a new government in the Netherlands when the election was won by a far-right firebrand wanting to ban the Qur’an, reject all new asylum claims, exit the EU and rip up reams of environmental regulations was never going to be easy.It became...

Chancellor says protests are ‘strong sign in favour of democracy’ as demonstrators gather in Berlin, Dresden, Hanover and other citiesAbout 200,000 people have taken to the streets of Germany in further protests against the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD).Protests on Saturday also took place in Dresden, Mainz and Hanover in a sign of growing alarm at strong public support for AfD. Continue reading...

District runoff in Thuringia closely watched to gauge whether huge protests against party have dented supportThe far-right populist Alternative für Deutschland party has been narrowly beaten in its first electoral test since revelations came to light of its involvement in a plan for the mass deportation of foreigners that has sparked huge protests across Germany. Its candidate lost against a conservative rival in a...

France, Poland and Austria among nine countries where radical rightwing parties predicted to finish firstPopulist “anti-European” parties are heading for big gains in June’s European elections that could shift the parliament’s balance sharply to the right and jeopardise key pillars of the EU’s agenda including climate action, polling suggests.Polling in all 27 EU member states, combined with modelling of how national parties performed in...

Fifteen months after two men were shot in Bratislava, evidence suggests the killer may have been helped by an unidentified US-based extremistThe October evening was warm and sunny. At about 7pm, two young men stepped out of the Tepláreň bar on Zámocká Street in the centre of Bratislava, to sit on a concrete bench and drink lemonade. Matúš, 23, had just arrived in the...

Hungarian PM met a who’s who of rightwing leaders on his travels in 2023, as critics point to failures at homeEurope’s pariah prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is jetting across the globe in search of friends.Hungary, an EU and Nato member that has been backsliding on democratic norms for more than a decade, has become even more isolated in the western club over the past...

Gabriel Attal attempts to set tone as Macron government tries to counter rise of Marine Le Pen’s far-rightThe new French prime minister, Gabriel Attal, has sent a strong message on law and order on his first full day in office, visiting a police station and promising to deliver security to “responsible working French people”, who he said wanted calm.“There is no security without our...

Attal, 34, rose in opinion polls during his time as education minister and may help ruling party in EU electionsProfile: who is the new French prime minister?Emmanuel Macron has appointed France’s youngest-ever prime minister, Gabriel Attal, as he seeks to reinvigorate a difficult second term as president and limit any possible gains for the far right in the forthcoming European elections in June.Attal, 34,...