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Writer's pictureNilsu Aydınay

Elections in Europe: Can the Left Experience a Resurgence?

The global rise of right-wing movements has become more evident recently. Many countries are being governed by right and far-right parties already such as Italy, Austria, Poland and Hungary, and the right wing continues to gain popularity. The recent European Parliament election results once again demonstrated the clear shift to the right as right leaning parties made significant gains in the elections. For example, Alternative for Germany (AfD) forced Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) into third place and right-wing parties in Germany took more than 45% of the vote. Also, in Austria and France the far-right took the majority and French president Macron had to call for a snap election following the defeat. However, this is not the end for the left-wing. Despite the defeat in the parliament elections, some leftist parties managed to make notable progress. Especially in Nordic countries, the Right is on decline. In Finland, Li Andersson's radical left-wing party (Vas) came in second, behind Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's conservative National Coalition Party (NCP) and she personally got the most votes. In Denmark, the Green Left (SF) party came first, and in Sweden, the Left Party (V) recorded its biggest increase with 11% of the votes.



The snap parliamentary election in France, following Macron's defeat in the EU parliament, demonstrated that the left still remains as a significant political force. After the far-right victory in the first round, the leftists and centrists managed to form a strategic alliance called "republican front," and beat the far-right in the final round. This unexpected comeback received overwhelming support from the French citizens and it has provided significant momentum and hope for leftist movements not only in France but also around the world. Many European leaders expressed their satisfaction with French people's rejection of extremists, indicating their support for a left-leaning direction.


The right-wing faced another setback in the UK general elections as Keir Starmer’s center-left Labour Party ended 14 years of Conservative rule. Labour gained 412 seats while Prime Minister Sunak’s Conservative Party could only win 121 seats. The Liberal Democrats became third with 72 seats and the Green Party quadrupled its seat number to four. Right-wing Reform Party also enjoyed success as they benefited from the Conservatives' failure to fulfill their promises and they pledged to fill the gap on the British center-right and eventually challenge Labour more effectively than the Conservatives did. The Left victory may be historic, however for some, it feels fragile due the public's high expectations for Labour's promises. Labour promised to restore a focus on public service in their politics and deliver concrete actions, contrasting with Sunak’s government, which, according to public opinion, has largely failed to do so.



The question now is: Can the left be resurrected? Elections in Europe’s two major countries delivered a significant setback to the growing right-wing movement on the global stage, however, many voters are still not convinced that the Left can solve their major problems. Many left-wing parties in Europe may seem connected to their communities and focus on social issues but they've seen their influence decrease. Furthermore, The rise of right-wing politics, especially in its populist form, shows that the Left hasn’t been successful in addressing people’s frustrations. This gap allows right-wing groups to exploit these frustrations and their angry rhetoric resonates with many people. To counter this, the Left needs to find better ways to connect with people and address their concerns. In conclusion, while recent polls and elections suggest that a sudden resurgence of the left-wing is unlikely, there remains a possibility of change.

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