In a recent analysis, the Financial Times (FT) compared the three leading European far-right parties – Germany’s AfD, France’s National Coalition, and Italy’s Fratelli d’Italia. These groups share common characteristics such as strong nationalism, hostility towards immigrants and Islam, and authoritarianism.
While these parties differ in their stances towards Russia and have distinct differences in their leadership styles, they also share the commonality of having women as their leaders or dominant figures. Alice Weidel leads the AfD, Marine Le Pen heads the National Alliance, and Giorgia Meloni is both the prime minister of Italy and the leader of Fratelli d’Italia.
The article notes that these parties are unique in that they are predominantly led by women in contrast to other European countries where men dominate. For example, Finland’s Basic Finns was not included in FT’s comparison. Additionally, Fratelli d’Italia stands out as the party of the Italian prime minister while France’s National Coalition and Germany’s AfD have varying opinions on Russia.
The leaders of these three parties have varying opinions on EU positions. While Weidel has hinted at Germany potentially leaving the euro and the EU, Meloni and Le Pen have softened their criticism of the EU. Meloni has been vocal in criticizing European Central Bank monetary policies while Le Pen has recently changed her views on Russia from pro-Russia to neutral. The AfD has faced criticism for alleged financial ties to Russia and China creating a scandal within the party.
As Europe approaches its upcoming elections, these three parties are starting from different points. While Fratelli d’Italia is part of ECR group, AfD and National Coalition belong to ID group. Speculation has arisen that National Coalition could potentially join ECR group but Le Pen has not made any concrete statements on this matter yet.
In conclusion, despite sharing common beliefs in nationalism opposition to minorities and adherence to traditional values concerning gender roles and family dynamics