TheRise of Europe's Right-Wing Parties

May 16, 2002 - 0:0
LONDON - The Dutch flocked to vote in a momentous general election on Wednesday, with the opposition Christian Democrats and the party of murdered anti-immigration populist Pim Fortuyn set to rout the Centre left government. The killing of Dutch anti-immigration Maverick Pim Fortuyn dramatized growing anxiety over the rise of extreme right-wing and xenophobic movements across Europe. Here are some of the major European Rightist Parties. Austria - In February 2000 a new coalition of the Conservative Austrian People's Party (VP) and the extreme right Austrian Freedom Party (FP) was sworn into government, marking the return of an extreme right party to government for the first time in Europe since the end of National Socialism in 1945. Joerg Haider, who still dominates the Freedom Party despite resigning as party leader, has praised some of Hitler's policies. His party won 52 seats in the Federal Assembly and almost 27 percent of the vote. Belgium - The breakthrough of the Extreme-Right Vlaams Blok (VB) in Flanders has been assisted in part by the increasingly hostile division between the country's two linguistic communities. Germany - The German People's Union (DVU) is one of three rightist groups. The other parties are the Republikaner (REP) and the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD). Italy - Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing coalition, which has elements inspired by former dictator Benito Mussolini, has shown coolness to the euro and is anti immigration. Netherlands - Lijst Pim Fortuyn is only three months old and has now been deprived of its charismatic leader, Pim Fortuyn. The party stands to win some sympathy votes in the general election, but analysts say its long-term political prospects are far from bright without the charismatic, media-savvy fortuyn. Norway - The Anti-Immigrant Progress Party became the third biggest party in Parliament after the welfare-oriented Labour Party suffered its worst election result in 90 years in 2001. Prime Minister Bondevik's government has just 62 seats in the 165-member Parliament and needs backing from the Progress Party, which has 25 seats.