Right-Wing Parties Gain Highest Voter Approval Ahead of EU Elections – Study

The election of a Republican Government in the US was tempered by the mid-term rise in the numbers of Democratic law-makers. But elsewhere, countries are turning more and more to the right.

In Canada, when the very Liberal Party and Justin Trudeau took power in 2015, there were 8 left-leaning provincial governments in our 10 provinces, and only 2 right-leaning governments. Since then, the country has flipped with only 4 left-leaning provincial legislatures and 6 right-leaning houses. 

This is not because the right-wing message is so appealing to Canadians, but because the far-left message of the very Liberal Trudeau and the far-left governments of Kathleen Wynne in Ontario and Rachel Notley in Alberta were simple rejected as 'not who we are as Canadians'. 

(L-R) Matteo Salvini, from Italy's Lega Nord, Austrian Freedom Party member Harald Vilimsky, Marine Le Pen,

France's National Front political party head, Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) leader Geert Wilders and

Belgium's Flemish Vlaams Belang party member Gerolf Annemans © Reuters / Francois Lenoir

One in 10 Europeans will back right-wing parties in the upcoming European Union elections, according to a new study, pointing to growing support for Euroskeptic movements across the bloc.

EU elections will be held May 23rd-26th, 2019.

A Bertelsmann Foundation study found that right-wing parties with a populist, nationalist or Euroskeptic bent received the highest level of voter approval of any single political grouping. 10.3 percent of voters said they would cast their ballots for right-wing parties, while only 6.2 percent said they positively identified with left-wing groups, and 4.4 percent with a Green party.

Right-wing parties have seen a surge in support amid growing disillusionment with Brussels. Those parties include Italy’s Lega Nord, France’s National Rally party, as well as the right-wing Alternative for Germany – commonly known by its German acronym, AfD.

The research indicates that voters care more about stopping parties and policies they dislike than advancing a positive agenda of their own, which, the researchers said, could end up feeding movements on the fringes.

“Many citizens no longer choose to back one party, but rather vote against parties they oppose the most,” said Robert Vehrkamp, a co-author of the Bertelsmann study.

“The populist parties have managed to create a stable and loyal voter base in a relatively short space of time,” he added.

Interesting, but aren't these two statements contradictory?

Nearly 24,000 voters were surveyed for the study, which conducted interviews in 12 EU member states. The EU’s parliamentary elections will be held May 26.

Even centrists such as French President Emmanuel Macron are beginning to bend to growing right-wing sentiment. In an apparent concession to the Yellow Vest protest movement, the French leader conceded that the Schengen agreement, which allows for visa-free travel between 22 EU member states and four non-EU countries, is no longer tenable. Echoing right-wing leaders such as Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Macron also called for changes to the Dublin Regulation, which gives an EU member state the right to send back asylum seekers to their first country of entry to the bloc.

Anti-Immigrant Sweden Democrats Party Surges in Polls Amid EU’s Eurosceptic Wave

Listing to Starboard in Sweden of all places

sverigedemokraterna / Instagram

The anti-immigration Sweden Democrats have gained ground in a recent poll, pulling almost even with the ruling Social Democrats, ahead of an election in September. Similar parties have won recent elections in Slovenia and Italy.

The poll, conducted for Sweden’s Expressen newspaper and published Monday, has put the Sweden Democrats in second place, with 21 percent of the vote, the highest score in the party’s history. The liberal Social Democrats, currently in a coalition government with the Green Party, are still in first place but polling at 23.1 percent.

The surge in popularity for Sweden Democrats is attributed to voters leaving Social Democrats for other left-wing parties, but also to the country’s open-door migration policy, which has been accompanied by a crime wave.

Gang-related gun murders –overwhelmingly carried out by men with migrant backgrounds– have surged from around four per-year in the early 1990s to 40 last year. Rapes and anti-Semitic attacks by Muslim immigrants have also surged. Grenade attacks were up 550 percent last year from three years prior.

Just last week, Rakmat Akilov, an asylum seeker from Uzbekistan, was given a life sentence for a truck attack last year. Akilov plowed a truck down a busy shopping street in Stockholm last April, killing five people and injuring almost a dozen others. Among the dead was an 11-year-old girl. He said he acted on behalf of Islamic State.

“I often use Sweden as a deterring example,” Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Swedish television in January, warning about the dangers of unchecked immigration.

In April, a poll by Demoskop revealed that immigration is the top issue for Swedish voters ahead of the election. Law and order is the third most important issue, while integration comes in fourth. On immigration and integration, voters have the most confidence in the Sweden Democrats party.

The Social Democrats party seems to be be focusing on other issues, however. On Monday, Stockholm’s city council voted to ban ‘sexist’ advertising in public spaces, including ads that "show a stereotypical image of gender roles.” The council is run by the Social Democrats and Moderate Unity Party, described as “liberal conservatives.”

The Sweden Democrats’ rise appears to be tracking the broader swing in support towards parties critical of immigration across the European Union. Italy got a Eurosceptic government at the end of May, which immediately took a tough line on immigration. Over the past weekend, the Italian navy turned back a French ship that rescued 629 migrants in the Mediterranean, criticizing the EU leadership in Brussels for leaving Italy to bear the brunt of Europe’s migrant problem “all by itself.”

Last week, Slovenia’s anti-immigrant SDS-EPP party won the general election there, with 28 percent of the vote. The SDS-EPP has promised to lock down the Slovenian border and ban the wearing of the burqa in public. They have received open support from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a long-time crusader against immigration and the Brussels establishment.

The Sweden Democrats still face an uphill battle to get into government. Sweden’s establishment parties have long refused to enter into coalition with them. Electoral math still favors a loose alliance of centrist parties, currently polling 38.5 percent, while a leftist coalition around the Social Democrats is polling at 36.2 percent.

"The important thing for us is to get as much of our policy through as possible, and then it does not matter who we get it through with,” said party leader Richard Jomshof. “Anything is possible.”

Guide to Europe's Relentless Political Shift to Starboard

Guide to the right: Where and how the right wing is rising in Europe

© Aris Messinis / AFP

Italy has become the latest European country where a general election has brought about the rise of right-wing politicians, a trend that’s growing across the EU.

The European Union is moving to the right side of the political spectrum. While left-wing officials, analysts and media blame anything from Russian bots to uneducated voters, the trend has been becoming more pronounced as elections take place across the bloc. Euroskeptic, anti-immigration and nationalist outlooks seem to be ever more appealing to the public.

To help you find your way in the changing political landscape, here is a brief guide to the right-wing parties gaining clout in Europe: their agendas, leaders and the reasons of their success.

Italy

Italy voted on March 4, 2018 to elect lawmakers into both chambers of its parliament. At stake were the 630 seats in the lower Chamber of Deputies and 315 in the upper Senate. The result is projected to be a divided parliament, with a grand coalition necessary after immense gains for right-wing and anti-globalist forces.

The rising right

Lega (ex-Lega Nord) and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia pooled efforts in a center-right coalition that won about 31.4 percent of the vote for the lower house and 32 percent in the upper, to become the second-most powerful force in the Italian legislature.

With Italy on the receiving end of the overloaded cross-Mediterranean human smuggling routes, Lega’s anti-immigration message won it some 17.4 (17.6) percent, while the conservative Forza Italia and its controversial leader Silvio Berlusconi captured 14 (14.4) percent.

Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi wipes the sweat off Lega leader Matteo Salvini in Rome, Italy, March 1, 2018 © Alessandro Bianchi / Reuters

The Five Star Movement, which ended up the largest single party with over 32 percent in both chambers, sports a wider, “big tent” ideology, sharing the right coalition’s Euroskeptic tendencies.

The losers

This deals a powerful blow to Italy’s Democratic Party and its center-left following, which only mustered some 18.7 percent of support in the lower house and 19.2 percent in the upper. Stunned by the setback, the Democrats’ leader, former prime minister Matteo Renzi, announced his resignation.

Austria

The October 15, 2017 election landed the Austrian government firmly in the hands of the right. Out of the 183 seats in the National Council, 113 ended up with the coalition lead by youngest-ever Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

The rising right

Austrian People’s Party (OVP) was the biggest gainer with 31.5 percent of the vote. Kurz’s own charismatic image, his promises of tougher immigration control and a pushback against “political Islam” were enough to tip the balance, making the People’s Party the single largest in the Council. While previously governing in a grand coalition with the rival Social Democrats, its new-found clout is now united with the more hardline Freedom Party.

The Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) is riding on a strong anti-immigration message, promising tighter border security in a country with Europe’s highest number of incoming asylum seekers per capita, and facing a sharp rise in crime by foreigners. It sealed 26 percent of the vote and a comfortable coalition partnership with Kurz’s OVP.

Top candidate of the People's Party (OVP) Sebastian Kurz attends victory celebration in Vienna, Austria, October 15, 2017

© Dominic Ebenbichler / Reuters

The losers

Number-on-number, the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPO) suffered no loss (the Greens bore the brunt of that), gaining 0.1 percent compared to 2013 (which did not translate into additional seats). The enormous blow it suffered came from the loss of coalition partner OVP, who decided to abandon the SPO’s pro-European, leftist agenda, resulting in a sharp turn to the right for the Austrian government.

Gains and losses

Austrian People’s Party (OVP): 62 seats (+15 from 2013)

Freedom Party of Austria (FPO): 51 seats (+11 from 2013)

Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPO): 52 seats (no change from 2013)

Germany

Germans went to the polls on September 24, 2017, to decide the composition of the 709-member Bundestag. What resulted was over five months without a government, as former allies drifted away from long-time Chancellor Angela Merkel and her liberal-conservative, pro-European Christian Democratic political alliance (CDU/CSU). The limbo eventually ended when the leftist Social Democratic Party (SPD) grudgingly agreed to re-enter a grand coalition with Merkel, paving the way for her fourth term as chancellor. Both parties were set back in the vote, however, resulting in gains for the right wing.

The rising right

Alternative for Germany (AfD), while by no means securing a majority, made a massive breakthrough, making it into the legislature for the first time. Its 12.6 percent (almost a threefold gain from 2013) came at the expense of CDU/CSU and SPD, as more Germans flocked to AfD’s anti-immigration, anti-Islamization, Euroskeptic agenda, disappointed by Merkel’s “open door” policy and the flood of asylum seekers it brought to the country.

Alternative for Germany (AfD) party congress in Hanover, Germany December 2, 2017 © Hannibal Hanschke / Reuters

The losers

While still emerging on top at the end of the day, both the CDU/CSU were hit hard. Merkel’s alliance ended up with 32.9 percent of the vote and the Social Democrats with 20.5 percent, each losing a fifth of its seats.

Gains and losses

Alternative for Germany (AfD): 94 seats (+94 from 2013)

CDU/CSU: 246 seats (-65 since 2013)

Social Democratic Party (SPD): 153 seats (-40 since 2013)

The Netherlands

The 150-member Dutch House of Representatives ended up a pretty diverse place after the March 15, 2017 election. Right-wingers were among the biggest gainers, including the one-man party of hardline Euroskeptic Geert Wilders.

The rising right

Party for Freedom (PVV), run by Geert Wilders, came in second with 13.1 percent of the vote at the expense of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s ruling party. Like many in this list, Wilders is a staunch opponent of unhindered immigration, the growing influence of Islam in Europe, and the political clout the EU has over individual countries. Wilders’ support had flagged back in the 2012 election, but his message proved relevant enough when the European migrant crisis began in 2015, propelling him back up in the polls again.

FILE PHOTO: Geert Wilders © Yves Herman / Reuters

The losers

The most striking loss hit the center-left Labor Party (PvdA), which, with only 5.7 percent support, suffered the biggest defeat in the history of Dutch elections. From second-largest party in 2012 it fell to near-obscurity with just nine seats.

Mark Rutte’s People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) was set back by about a fourth of its seats after two elections with solid gains, ending up with 21.3 percent and the PVV breathing down its neck.

Gains and losses

Party for Freedom (PVV): 20 seats (+5 from 2012)

People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD): 33 seats (-8 from 2012)

Labor Party (PvdA): 9 seats (-29 from 2012)

Hungary

The right wing has been in power in Hungary since Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s party Fidesz won a sweeping victory in 2010. The Hungarians are heading for a new poll in April 2018, and things are still looking good for the right.

The rising right

Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance, Orban’s conservative, center-right, Euroskeptic party, actually dipped in popularity in 2014, falling from 2010’s stellar 52.73 percent to 44.87 percent. Opinion polls show that support for Fidesz had been flagging, falling to below 40 percent, until 2015 and the unprecedented influx of Middle Eastern refugees into Europe.

FILE PHOTO: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban © Laszlo Balogh / Reuters

One of the most crowded land routes lay through Hungary, and Viktor Orban took a decidedly hardline stance against it, pushing back against EU-wide refugee quotas and building border barriers to limit illegal arrivals. This stance appeared to resonate well with the Hungarian public, resulting in a steady rise in Orban’s popularity. As of late February 2018, polls projected 52.9 percent in Fidesz’s favor – an even higher result than the 2010 landmark.

The losers

After the crushing defeat of 2010, the center-left, pro-European Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) scrambled to contest the 2014 vote, forming the Unity political alliance with four other liberal parties. Together, they only mustered 25.57 percent support, which was only a slight gain from what MSZP had achieved alone, and still almost 20 percent short of Fidesz. The alliance was soon disbanded. MSZP’s projections for 2018 look grim as well, with polls indicating under 12 percent support, and seven percent each for two of its closest-running Unity partners.

Gains and losses

Between the Unity’s brief existence and the 2012 constitutional reform, which cut the number of parliament seats in half, tracking changes in representation can be a challenge. Here are the 2014 numbers compared to 2010:

Fidesz: 133 seats out of 199 (a decrease compared to 263/386 in 2010)

Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP): 58 seats out of 199 together with Unity partners (a gain compared to 59/386 in 2010, but that was as MSZP standing alone)

Poland

Poland switched over to the right in October 2015, when conservative Law and Justice (PiS) surged to defeat the Civic Platform, reversing the government-opposition balance. This ultimately resulted in a rift with the EU which could now cost Warsaw its European Parliament voting rights.

The rising right

Law and Justice (PiS) has been steadily gaining votes since its creation in 2001 by the brothers Kaczynski. In 2015 it swept to power with 37.58 percent of the vote, almost doubling its seats in the Polish Sejm from the 2011 numbers. Not only is the Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, a PiS member, but the President Andrzej Duda also hails from the party (although he has been officially independent since his election in 2015), giving the right significant clout in deciding Poland’s course. Duda’s approval rating stands at 72 percent, a record only broken by one other Polish leader before. PiS is also enjoying a continued rise in popularity, with February 2018 polls projecting a 43 percent result in the next election.

FILE PHOTO: Leader of Law and Justice party Jaroslaw Kaczynski © Agencja Gazeta/Slawomir Kaminski / Reuters

PiS-led Poland has been fighting back against EU-enforced quotas on accepting refugees, only reluctantly agreeing to let in about half of the required number. It also earned the EU’s ire with a controversial 2017 judicial reform, which gives the parliament and the justice minister power to appoint Supreme Court judges. This has led to the European Commission initiating proceedings into stripping Poland of voting rights in the European Parliament. PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski has slammed the movement as overreach and an intervention in Poland’s internal affairs.

The losers

The liberal, pro-EU Civic Platform (PO) won 24.09 percent of the vote in 2015, a whopping 15 percentage-point drop since 2011, neatly reversing positions with PiS and going into opposition. As of February 2018, its standing in opinion polls has slid even lower, dipping below 20 percent.

Gains and losses

Law and Justice (PiS): 235 seats (+101 from 2011)

Civic Platform (PO): 138 seats (-59 from 2011)

Sweden

Sweden has two right-leaning forces, both currently in opposition: The Alliance headed by the center-right Moderates party, and the much more pronounced Swedish Democrats, operating alone.

The rising right

Swedish Democrats bagged 12.9 percent of the 2014 vote, more than doubling its influence in the national legislature. They are pushing for economic and political independence from the European Union, but perhaps the most relevant part of their message is that Sweden must not accept any more immigrants. The country is home to the violent crime hotbed of Malmo and the highest sex crime rates in Europe, which some critics link to mass immigration. The Swedish government has acknowledged that its refugee-accepting capacity has hit its limit.

FILE PHOTO: Sweden Democrats party leader Jimmie Akesson © Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency / Reuters

The losers

Sweden’s center-left ruling coalition, the Lofven Cabinet, is a minority government, with has 37.9 percent of popular backing across two parties. Their support remained virtually unchanged from 2010 to 2014. The Alliance, four parties with a combined 39.43 percent, lost about a fifth of its support. The Moderates, leading the alliance, have since abandoned their previously liberal stance on migration, calling for border controls, reduced welfare and stricter family reunification rules. They are now also floating the idea of uniting with the Swedish Democrats, previously shunned by other parties, to topple the minority government in the September 2018 election.

Gains and losses

Swedish Democrats: 49 seats (+29 from 2010)

Lofven Cabinet: 138 seats (+1 from 2010)

Moderates: 141 seats (-32 from 2010)

Switzerland

Switzerland last elected its 200-seat National Council and 46-seat Council of States in October 2015. The vote resulted in gains for both of the country’s right-leaning forces: the center-right Liberals and the more hardline People’s Party.

The rising right

Swiss People’s Party won 29.4 percent of the votes, breaking a 50-year record for the number of National Council seats held by any one party. Its key message includes a reduction of involvement in international blocs including the EU and NATO, and tougher immigration controls.

FILE PHOTO: A poster of Swiss People's Party (SVP) demanding to deport criminal foreigners in Zurich, Switzerland

© Arnd Wiegmann / Ruptly

The Liberals gained 16.4 percent, landing the third-largest representation. While standing for the integration of immigrants, they are opposed to Switzerland’s EU membership, instead supporting individual, two-sided agreements.

The losers

No single party suffered a dramatic setback – the 2015 vote chipped away a little at everyone except the People’s Party and the FDP. Their main rival, the left-wing Social Democrats, managed not to lose too much ground, remaining in second spot with 18.8 percent and only surrendering two seats.

Gains and losses

Swiss People’s Party: 70 seats (+11 from 2011)

FDP.The Liberals: 46 seats (+4 from 2011)

Social Democrats: 55 seats (-2 from 2011)

Denmark

Denmark’s 2015 general election witnessed the biggest rise for the country’s most right-wing party, and the biggest fall for the minority ruling party.

The rising right

The Danish People’s Party came in second with 21.1 percent of the vote, almost doubling its presence in the legislation. Its policies include preserving the Danish national identity by limiting multiculturalism and assimilating non-Western migrants. It wants Denmark to keep its own national currency and preserve its sovereignty from overreaching EU power.

Danish People's Party (DF) leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl at an election party in Copenhagen, Denmark, June 18, 2015

© KELD NAVNTOFT / SCANPIX DENMARK / AFP

The losers

The biggest loss was suffered by Venstre, the centerpiece of the ruling center-right coalition of Denmark. It came in third with 19.5 percent.

The center-left Social Democrats remained in opposition despite gaining the most votes at 26.3 percent.

Gains and losses

Danish People’s Party: 37 seats (+15 from 2011)

Social Democrats: 47 seats (+3 from 2011)

Venstre: 34 seats (-13 from 2011)

France

France differs from the rest of this list in that the right wing failed to make significant gains in the legislature in the 2017 vote. Instead, the same year’s presidential election brought to prominence a singular right-wing politician.

The rising right

Marine le Pen, the notorious leader of the hardcore right-wing National Front, ran for president in April and May 2017. Her agenda combined all of the staples of the European right, including Euroskepticism, economic nationalism, and anti-immigration. She outraged the liberal media by meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a time when Moscow remains the West’s go-to bogeyman.

FILE PHOTO: National Front (FN) leader Marine Le Pen © Gonzalo Fuentes / Reuters

In spite of all these factors, or perhaps thanks to them, Le Pen secured over 21 percent of the vote in the first round, right behind Emmanuel Macron and his 24 percent. Both proceeded to the run-off, where Macron managed to beat Le Pen with the consolidated backing of 66.1 percent against 33.9 percent. While not a victory in itself, it certainly sent a message: right-wing sentiment is creeping across Europe, upheaving the political landscape.

Populist Parties Surge in Italian Election - Not Good News for EU

EU - listing a bit more to starboard

By Hilary Clarke and Euan McKirdy, CNN

(CNN) Populist parties have gained ground at the expense of establishment voices in Italy's parliamentary elections, which produced no clear winner as votes were being counted in the early hours of Monday.

The anti-establishment Five Star Movement is projected to have gained the most votes by a single party, while a center-right coalition looks set to hold the most seats in the country's senate.

According to state broadcaster RaiNews24, Five Star Movement led by 31-year-old Luigi di Maio is projected to gain over 32% of the vote, still short of the 40% needed to form a government.

Based on early vote count, the result looks like a win for the center-right coalition brokered by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, which collectively is projected to hold the biggest share of the vote -- 35.5%.

The result, which is comprised of Berlusconi's Forza Italia, Matteo Salvini's far-right League and the neo-fascist Brothers of Italy, means it will have the most seats in parliament, but 4% short of the 40% needed to avoid a hung parliament.

Berlusconi's Forza Italia is projected to receive 14%; the xenophobic and populist League, formerly known as the Northern League, also is expected to win 16%.

Berlusconi, a multi-billionaire, is currently not eligible to be Prime Minister because he has been convicted of tax fraud.

Poor showing for ruling party

The result is a blow for another former leader, Matteo Renzi, whose center-left group, comprised of his Democratic Party and the liberal More Europe party could only muster 23% between them.

The poor showing comes despite the ruling party projected to get the second-largest share of votes, 19%, for an individual party. Renzi, a center-left reformer, stepped aside in 2016 after the failure of a controversial constitutional referendum,

Italian political leaders seemed to be waiting for more results before weighing in on social media, with only the League leader Matteo Salvini tweeting "My first word: THANK YOU."

Bad news for EU unity

The poll is being closely scrutinized by European leaders who are concerned by the increasingly euro-skeptical sentiment and fearful of any instability in the Eurozone's third-largest economy.

If projections are accurate, the result means that Italy could be plunged into months of further political deadlock that could have broader implications for Europe -- both the League and the Five Star Movement are anti-EU parties.

One of the main issues in the election has been the surge in undocumented immigrants entering Italy, one of the main entry points into Europe from migrants from Africa and Asia.

The narrative around immigration took a darker turn after a man linked with neo-fascist political parties apparently went on a shooting rampage targeting African migrants in the town of Macerata. The incident fueled serious political debate about how the country is reconciling its fascist past.

Sweeping change

The populist parties' gains in the polls were not lost on US President Donald Trump's former strategic adviser Steve Bannon, who was in Rome to observe the elections.

Bannon said in an interview with Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper that an alliance between the anti-immigrant League party and the populist Five Star Movement was "the ultimate dream."

"This election is crucial for the global populist movement" he said, saying it was an issue of "sovereignty" for Italians opposed to immigration.

Another far-right politician, France's Marine Le Pen, tweeted that the projected results signaled an anti-EU sentiment in the southern European country.

"The European Union is going to have a horrible evening," she said in the post.

Final results are expected at 2 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET). The real work will begin once all the final votes are through and negotiations begin for a coalition.

‘Czech Donald Trump’ Set to Win Parliamentary Elections – Polls

Europe - Lurching to Starboard

The populist Czech ANO movement led by billionaire Andrej Babis, dubbed ‘the Czech Donald Trump,’ is poised to win the eastern European country’s elections by a wide margin, according to the exit polls. The center-right, euroskeptic ODS came in second.

ANO, which means ‘Yes’ in Czech and also stands as an acronym for the ‘Action of Dissatisfied Citizens’, has taken a clear lead in the election with more than 30 percent of the vote, beating its closest rivals by around 20 percentage points, according to exit polls cited by the Czech media.

The center-right, euroskeptic Civic Democratic Party (ODS) has come in second, securing about 11 percent backing. The third and fourth places were taken by the Czech Pirate Party and the anti-immigrant and anti-Islam far-right populist Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (SPD), which both gained slightly more than 10 percent with the difference between them amounting to several hundredths of a percent.

The polls also show that five more parties have cleared the 5 percent hurdle to get into parliament, including the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, the Social Democrats, the Christian Democratic Union and the TOP 09 movement, as well as the movement of Czech mayors and independents.

The exit polls’ results demonstrate a significant shift to euroskepticism in the Czech Republic as all the three leading parties represent anti-establishment forces in one way or another. Babis, who leads the ANO movement, is particularly known for his skepticism about the euro and severe criticism of the EU’s immigration policies, including the refugee quota system.

The SPD also actively opposes immigration and calls Islam an ideology rather than a religion while the Civic Democrats are critical towards the EU and advocate permanent exception from euro adoption for the Czech Republic.

The pro-EU Social Democrats (CSSD) received only 7.7 percent of the votes, according to the exit polls, while the liberal TOP 09 movement, considered to be the strongest supporter of further European integration and adopting the euro currency, barely managed to clear the election hurdle as it gained only slightly more than 5 percent of the vote.

Babis, who is poised to become the new Czech prime minister as his party’s electoral victory is almost certain, is, however, a controversial figure. The Czech Republic’s second richest man and a billionaire, who owns one of the Czech biggest private employers – the agricultural giant Agrofert – as well as a media empire, he has already served as finance minister and deputy prime minister, but was dismissed due to allegations of financial misconduct.

Babis was sacked from the government in May after a months-long coalition crisis that started with allegations that he dodged taxes as Agrofert CEO back in 2012. He was separately charged over allegedly misusing EU subsidies. Babis dismissed all the allegations, calling them “politically motivated.”

Despite his issues with the law, Babis remains one of the most popular Czech politicians. In September, the Czech President Milos Zeman told the local media that he would name Babis the new prime minister in the event of his party’s victory, even if he were in police custody.

The two-day vote was held on October 20 and 21 to fill 200 seats in the Czech parliament’s lower house – the Chamber of Deputies. The voting ended at 14:00 local time (12:00 GMT) on Saturday with most ballots being expected to have been counted by the end of the day. However, the official results are scheduled to be announced no sooner than next week.

The results of the Czech elections have become just the latest episode of what seems to be the onward march of the right across Europe. Just a week ago, two anti-migrant parties gained the lead in the Austrian parliamentary elections and are now expected to form the ruling coalition.

Earlier, the right-wing anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party enjoyed what was called a historic success while Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats and perforce the Social Democrats suffered their worst results in more than half a century at the September parliamentary elections in Germany.

In the French presidential elections in spring 2017, Marine le Pen, the head of the right-wing National Front party made it into the run-off, beating candidates from such major establishment parties as the Republicans and the Socialists.

And in the Netherlands, Geert Wilder’s ultra-nationalist Party of Freedom came second in this year’s parliamentary elections.