The increase of far right parties' support in Germany and Italy

Abstract

Far right parties have been increasing their electoral support all across Europe. These political parties have become the strongest opponents to the process of European integration and therefore their increasingly strong showings at the polls should be of concern to those who support further European integration. This study attempts to understand what led to the rise in support for the far right parties. A review of the literature identified Economic turmoil, irregular migration and Euroscepticism as three of the main phenomena which might have led to the surge in support for the far right parties. Using a mixed methods approach, this study tried to determine whether these issues contributed to the surge in support for the three far right parties with parliamentary representation in the countries under study, namely Germany and Italy. The Alternative for Germany (AFD), the League and the Brothers of Italy (FDI) were the three parties which fit these inclusion criteria. The study also attempted to identify any differences between the two countries. The mixed methods approach involved a quantitative and a qualitative section. The quantitative section included the analysis of secondary data from Eurobarometer and Eurostat surveys which enabled the researcher to assess the levels of concern within German and Italian societies with regards to the three phenomena identified in the literature review. The qualitative part involved an in depth qualitative content analysis of the electoral manifesto presented by the three parties in the most recent general elections held in Germany and Italy. The qualitative content analysis identified the issues on which these far right parties campaigned on and also determined how much importance these parties gave to the three phenomena in question. Both the AFD and the League campaigned on a heavily Eurosceptic platform. The FDI limited the Eurosceptic rhetoric to the bare minimum. All three parties gave prominence to the issue of immigration. The AFD and the League blamed the European Union for the nations’ inability to control the flow of migrants. The FDI viewed immigration from Muslim countries as a threat to Italy’s Christian heritage. The political climate in Italy was undoubtedly more favourable for the far right to achieve success and this is one of the main reasons why the Italian far right parties managed to outperform the AFD. This may also be the reason why in the 2019 European Parliament elections the Italian far right parties kept on increasing their share of the vote while the German AFD’s growth halted.