THE FAR RIGHT IN EUROPE: A WORRISOME TREND

The strong showing made by the National Front candidate Marine Le Pen in the first round of France's presidential elections (The National Front got 17.9% of the vote) has highlighted the strength of far right groups in Europe. The National Front has a strong presence in several towns and regions in France and holds three seats in the European Parliament. The next legislative elections that will take place this coming June will no doubt show the entry of the National Front in the French National Assembly.

Here below is a quick look at the far right in Europe today:

Austria:  Both the Freedom Party (FPOe) and the League for Austria's Future control respectively 34 and 21 seats in the Austrian Parliamenty for a total of 55 seats out of 183 seats or 30%.

Belgium: The New Flemish Alliance (NVA) holds 27 seats of the 150 seats of the Belgian National Parliament or 18%

Finland: The True Finns Party holds 39 of the 200 seats in the Finnish Parliament or 19.5%

Hungary: The Alliance for Young People- Movement for a better Hungary (Jobbik) holds 46 of the 386 seats in the Hungarian Parliament or 11.9%

Norway: The Anti-Immigration Progress Party holds 41 seats of the 169 seats in the Norwegian Parliament or 24.2%

Sweden: The Anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats hold 20 of the 348 seats in the Swedish Parliament or 5.7%

Switzerland: The Swiss People's Party (SVP) remains the country's largest single political grouping, with 54 of the 200 seats in the Swiss National Parliament or 27%