Recently, there have been interesting political processes in the European Parliament, in which the complete isolation of far-right parties seems to have come to an end. The current situation may indicate that these far-right votes can be used as a kind of “secret weapon” for centrist parties, especially if no agreement can be reached between the centrist parties. At the end of October, the failure of a vote on green policy easing encouraged the EPP to open up to new partners instead of its traditional allies. As part of this strategy, the EPP turned to far-right groups as possible allies if there were no votes in favour of the Commission’s proposal from the centrist side. These steps can also be interpreted as a veiled threat, as they suggest that the EPP may be able to gain a majority even with the help of far-right parties. The absurdity of such acts is remarkable, as it raises questions about why the political representatives of the Center Party keep themselves away from far-right groups in other contexts. The fact that the central parties are willing to cooperate with far-right MPs when their interests require it is also ethically questionable. In such cases, when there is an opportunity to continue working together, why not apply it to other, important issues as well? Moreover, political strategies involving the exclusion of far-right parties, which develop political groups labelled as “anti-democratic”, do not seem to be in line with democratic principles. The use of political influence by these parties seems to violate rather than protect democratic decision-making processes.
For the political center, this strategy could easily lead to the abandonment of the line of defense that they had set up, without the need for any serious effort on the part of the far-right parties. In the event that this trend becomes generalized, the understanding of the concept of political space and the defense of democratic values could be seriously compromised. The issues that arise in the course of political games are not only a battle of ideas and ideologies, but may also depend on the future of European democracy. Far-right parties, which many call “anti-democratic”, can now be used not only to express one-centred positions, but can also manipulate decision-making processes as political trump cards.
According to political analysts, if centrist parties continue to shape their policies in this direction, their own narrative may also be in danger. It is also important for voters to understand what this change entails and what the consequences are for the political landscape of the future.
Translated and edited by Hans Seckler