By Zhao Minghao    Source: Global Times    Published: 2015-12-10

France`s far-right National Front won across the board in the first round of the regional elections in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks. Marine Le Pen, president of National Front, has prepared herself for the 2017 presidential election. At the same time, recent German opinion polls haven shown a rise in popularity for the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany. It polled at 10 percent while the support for the governing "grand coalition" led by Chancellor Angela Merkel has plummeted to 34 percent, the lowest since June 2012. Major changes are taking place in the political landscape in Europe, with the rise of right-wing populism.

There is no doubt that the refugee crisis has served as a powerful weapon for the ring-wing populist parties to win voters. Their core strategy is to take advantage of citizens` fears. Millions of asylum seekers from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and other African countries are flooding into Europe. They claim that terrorists have entered alongside refugees. Although France has been expanding its intelligence work, its progress is much slower than that of the expansion of terrorist suspects. The upsurge of anti-terrorism costs is also posing an increasing economic burden on the French government.

The rise of European populism is rooted in economic and social insecurity among the citizens, which has been aggravated following the refugee crisis. In recent years, the unemployment rate in Greece, Spain and other Southern European countries has seen an upsurge owing to the outbreak of the debt crisis. More than 45 percent of youths have failed to secure a job.

Meanwhile, the relatively affluent nations in the northern part of Europe are complaining against the EU`s bailout, concerning that it may weaken their domestic public welfare and economic competitiveness. The Alternative for Germany, founded in 2013, advocates the economic interests of Germany being prioritized over that of Europe. The party performed well in the 2013 federal election.

Indeed, the European citizens are becoming increasingly concerned of the migrant crisis. In the first place, they worry that the government may spend too much of its fiscal revenue in addressing the crisis, potentially affecting their pensions. The Munich-based Ifo Institute for Economic Research predicts that the actual number of refugees flooding into Germany this year will reach 1.1 million on which the German government is expected to spend €21.1 billion ($23 billion).

In addition, most of the refugees are Muslims. The integration of different ethnic groups is a huge challenge for the European countries. Muslims are now 10 percent of the French population. About 60 to 70 percent of prisoners in France are Muslims, and prisons function as a school for extremists. Besides, the European citizens are worried that the refugees may take the already-limited work opportunities away from them.

The right-wing populist parties are characterized as nationalist and xenophobic. They always scapegoat ethnic and religious minorities as well as immigrants for all the difficulties Europe is facing. Groups such as the Danish People`s Party and the Finns Party, favor a homogenous society, and stress the significance of protecting national identity. These parties are strongly suspicious of the European integration and sniff at the concept of "more Europe."

Yet, these right-wing parties have successfully challenged the mainstream political parties in the 2014 European Parliament elections. They are now free to use the EU institutions to advocate their political views, and influence the agenda on issues including migrants and asylum policies.

There is no denying that the right-wing populist parties are now winning voters from the mainstream parties across the whole Europe. The poor performance and the mistaken decisions by many ruling parties have also alienated their supporters. They are described as the corrupted, incapable and nonchalant political elites by the right-wingers. To win more support, some mainstream political parties have started to absorb the political views of the right-wing populist parties. For instance, the Cameron government has obviously been influenced by UK Independence Party.

Above all, the victory of the National Front in the regional elections is a signal that deserves attention. It may foresee major changes in the European political landscape. The rise of right-wing populist parties is a serious challenge against open society and European integration. This may also have some geopolitical implications of which China should be aware.

The author is a research fellow at the Charhar Institute and an adjunct fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China.