Ultra-nationalism, Euroscepticism and pro-Russian sympathies could be the common ground, and MEPs from some Central European countries could be tempted by the experience, Euronews Super Poll suggests.
As far-right parties prepare to overcome their political fragmentation, the German AfD is increasingly aware it will need a new European parliamentary family after its expulsion from the ultra-conservative Identity and Democracy (ID) group.
And if AfD calls, other parties could be tempted to join the new alternative far-right group, the Euronews Super Poll reports.
The European right is clearly divided by political incompatibilities and different interests. Steven Van Hecke, professor of EU politics at the KU Leuven, told Euronews why a single far-right group would be highly unlikely in the next EU legislature:
“A number of far-right parties are on the path of radicalisation. I don’t think all of them will get together after the elections. We’d rather see not one but three instead of two political groups,” Van Hecke explained.
“That’s also the reason why Marine Le Pen recently made clear that she wanted to have a clean cut, a clear distance vis a vis the AfD.” .
The AfD was expelled during the current EU electoral campaign at the call of Marine Le Pen, the leader of the ID group, after its former main candidate, Maximilian Krah, declared sympathies for the notorious Nazi German unit Waffen SS.
The AfD has also been accused of alleged involvement in Russian malign influence actions and a Chinese spy case.
The Euronews Super Poll projects that the seats to create an alt-right group could be a reality after the vote.
From a mere arithmetical point of view, with the need for a minimum of 23 MEPs from at least seven different member-states, there might be no room for error despite the backing of a potential 15 seats from the AfD in Germany. And wheels are already in motion, according to analysts.
“Calls and inquiries are already being made: Bulgaria’s Revival reached out to AfD leaders upon their expulsion from ID”, the Euronews Polls Centre said.
Apart from the AfD, the new alt-right group could involve MEPs from Poland, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Hungary (and its Our Homeland party) and Slovakia.
The common ground among these dissenting parties could be their pro-Russian political stance.
If created, the new alt-right group will have the opportunity to be the focus of political and media attention in the five years to come since the Ukrainian question will inevitably be one of the most relevant topics of the next EU legislature.
Another potential cluster that could be sympathetic to Russia is expected to sit on the “alt-left” benches of the European Parliament: the left sovereignist group driven by another German frontrunner, the Sahra Wagenknecht’s Rally (BSW).
Sahra Wagenknecht splintered from Die Linke, a long-standing member of the parliamentary group The Left. Her fraction is set to leave that group and could find enough kindred spirits to organise an alternative.
The leftist sovereignists across Europe are also projected to have enough seats to gather together.
