AfD scores highlight hard-right gains across Europe

Germany's Alternative for Germany has become the latest hard-right party to make electoral gains in Europe, coming first in two eastern regional elections after becoming the country's main opposition party in 2025.

The anti-immigration AfD won a regional election in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6 and came first in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on September 20. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the centre-left SPD looks set to continue governing by forming a coalition with left-wing allies.

Across Europe, hard-right parties have made advances in government, parliament or opinion polling. In Italy, Giorgia Meloni has headed the government since October 2022 in a coalition that includes Matteo Salvini's League and the conservative Forza Italia. In France, the National Rally became the largest single party in the lower house by seats in 2024, and Marine Le Pen is the frontrunner for the spring 2027 presidential election in current opinion polls.

Portugal's Chega topped 20 percent of the vote for the first time in the May 2025 legislative elections. In Spain, Vox has allied with the conservative Popular Party to govern or collaborate in several regions.

Belgium's Vlaams Belang increased its seats in 2024, while Britain's Reform UK won 14 percent of the vote and its first five MPs in the July 2024 general election. In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders' PVV lost the November 2025 legislative elections, but other far-right parties made gains.

The Freedom Party came first in Austria's September 2024 legislative elections but failed to form a government. Switzerland's Swiss People's Party remains the largest party in the National Council. Far-right or nationalist parties are also in or near power in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Finland, while nationalist candidates or parties have made gains in Poland and Romania.

The trend has not been uniform. Viktor Orban's Fidesz lost Hungary's April 2026 legislative elections, and Sweden's September 13 election brought a setback for the Sweden Democrats, whose support declined for the first time since they entered parliament in 2010.