Earthquake in the home of European sovereignists: Marine Le Pen’s National Rally Party is leaving the Alternative für Deutschland (Afd), which embodies the German far right. Matteo Salvini’s Union decided to follow in the footsteps of its transalpine ally. The split has been on the agenda for some time, but has so far matured with the statements of Maximilian Krah, a member of the European Parliament who is the main candidate of the Identity and Democracy group for the presidency of the EU Commission. Krah, who is under preliminary investigation for questionable ties and financing from Russia and China, recently gave an interview to the newspaper. Republic and others Finance Times with controversial statements. The German politician said, “It is wrong to generalize, not all SS members were war criminals.” “Among the 900 thousand SS men there were also many farmers: the percentage of criminals was certainly high, but not all of them were criminals,” the AfD candidate said. Since then, the debate has repeatedly reached breaking point, which could tip the scales on the European far-right two weeks before the European Parliament elections.
Marine Le Pen’s strategy
In the European Parliament, the National Assembly Party sits on the seats of the Identity and Democracy (ID) group, which includes the League and Afd. The shadows of division had been looming over the sovereigntists’ political family for some time. As recently as December 2023, Marine Le Pen told Le Monde newspaper: “It is difficult to imagine a European strategy that ignores the Germans. It is the elephant in the room.” Le Pen’s party was tired of having to issue statements and clarifications in the wake of the controversies that have gripped the AfD for some time. Many of its members are involved in trials for violent acts or statements. German research site in January Corrective He had uncovered a secret meeting in Potsdam, near Berlin, in November 2023, where party leaders, together with representatives of the German neo-Nazi movement, discussed a large-scale deportation project against both immigrants and Germans of foreign origin. Leaders of Rassemblement National had asked for explanations without receiving any convincing explanations. Marine Le Pen has been busy for years in the process of “reviving” her party, while also trying to seduce Jewish voters and specifically targeting immigration from North Africa. However, she distanced herself from the Holocaust denialism and anti-Semitic statements of her father, Jean Marie Le Pen, the founder of the National Front at the time. It is a step the AfD is not willing to take, instead radicalizing and often winking at neo-Nazi movements. On May 13, a German court fined Björn Höcke, leader of the far-right party’s radical wing, for using the slogan of the SA, the paramilitary militia of Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist party. Another court gave the national secret service the authority to keep the far-right group “under surveillance”.
Krah banned from attending campaign events
Confirmation of the disagreement with the AfD came from the voice of the new chairman of the Rassemblement National, Jordan Bardella: “We have decided to break off relations and will no longer sit with them during the next term of office”. The League immediately sided with its transalpine allies: “As always, Matteo Salvini and Marine Le Pen are in perfect harmony and like-mindedness,” the Northern League said. It did not take long for an immediate response from German party leaders: “If we are expelled, I doubt they will be able to reach the number of seven countries needed to form a group.” Then there was a small reversal: the party decided to exclude Maximilian Krah from meetings, election events and other public events, according to a statement to the press.afp by an AfD spokesperson following a conference call from the federal office. Perhaps a last-ditch move aimed at mending fences with former RN allies.
Because the ruling right in the Netherlands could help Meloni conquer Europe
Crossing the “hygiene cordon”
In fact, everything will become clear after the June 9 elections and it is not clear what the next moves will be. The only thing that is certain is Le Pen’s new strategy: to overcome the “sanitary cordon” barrier that exists in Brussels against the far right and to achieve a political credibility that allows her to access both the Elysée (double-tapped) and positions of power. within European institutions. Options that have been tightly closed to him until now. The move away from an ally that is no longer considered reliable and adequate is apparently due to the new strategy of French politics, which is trying to imitate the lesson given by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Establishing yourself as someone with moderate and passionate ties to neo-fascist and neo-Nazi movements (at least on paper) is crucial to gaining occasional or systematic support from the European People’s Party. It is not an easy feat to achieve. While Meloni has sided with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on various issues since taking office (Atlanticism and firm support for Ukraine) and has eased increasingly tense relations with Hungarian President Viktor Orban, Le Pen has only been very hostile to the president of the German EPP leader. remained critical. And so far the same money has been refunded.
Two women for one throne
What the leader of the French far right is counting on are polls that give the Identity and Democracy sovereignists an advantage over the Ecr conservatives, to which Fratelli d’Italia belongs. According to the latest polls published by Politico newspaper, the ID group (including AfD’s votes) could win 84 seats against the 70 seats targeted by the ECR group, which includes the Spanish party Vox. Besides Le Pen, in addition to the League, there is the Portuguese party Chega, which received 18 percent of the votes in the polls, and the Freedom Party (PVV) of Geert Wilders, the head of the new administration in the Netherlands. In Europe, votes, as well as alliances and important appointments in the Commission, are much more important.
There are two hypotheses considered. Expel the AfD and hope for a rapprochement with the EPP following this move. Even if we exclude the AfD, it is far from certain that sovereignists will be able to sufficiently “cleanse” themselves of their radical Islamist and anti-immigration positions to gain top positions in the EU. The alternative is to unite the far right in Europe into a single party, grouping the ECR and ID parties together and creating a single new political family. However, in this case, the two female leaders of the far right, Meloni and Le Pen, will have to compete for a single throne. A union to be tested.
Source: Today IT
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
