Right-wing politics

Austria's far-right Freedom Party, a party rooted in Nazi ideology, just celebrated an unprecedented election victory on Sunday night, with its leader talking about a new era for the far right. This is seen as another worrying sign for Europe, as a surge by populist far-right forces shows no sign of slowing down.

Will the outcome of the elections in France and the UK trigger a wave of support for progressive forces across Europe as a whole? There are some important differences between the two countries that need to be noted. In the UK, extreme populism and promises of magical solutions were tried and they failed dismally.

I have begun to wonder whether the term "extreme right" is the most suitable one for us to understand the wide range of politics adopted by significant sections of the population and which include radical, conservative (reactionary) concepts, extreme nationalism and nativism, the rejection of experts and institutions, suspicion towards local and foreign elites, and antagonism towards migrants a

A little-known political party endorsed by a jailed former lawmaker won seats in Greece's next parliament in an election Sunday, signaling a political comeback for the far right.

The far-right Spartiates (Spartans) party, which has been backed by jailed neo-Nazi Ilias Kasidiaris, looks set to cross the 3% threshold needed to make it into Parliament, with the latest exit polls showing it clinching as much as 5.6% of the vote.

Thursday's resolution was passed with the support of MPs of the governing Law and Justice Party (PiS) and the far-right Confederation alliance. During the vote, PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski announced that the country would hold a referendum on the issue of relocating asylum seekers, which according to local media could take place on the same day as the autumn general election.

A far-right party banned from participating in the upcoming election has pledged support for a newly founded political group that received Supreme Court approval to field candidates.

It was the latest twist in Greece's volatile far-right politics that could have an impact on the upcoming election.

Ilias Kasidiaris, the former MP for the far-right Golden Dawn party, cannot stand as a candidate in the June 25 election, Greece's Supreme Court has ruled.

Kasidiaris and the party he founded, National Party-Greeks, had been banned from taking part in the previous national election, on May 21, because of a law targeting convicted Golden Dawn ex-MPs.

A rightwing party founded by a former Supreme Court deputy prosecutor has announced it will not contest the June 25 election.

Golden Dawn party MPs Nikos Michos (L), Ilias Panagiotaros (C) and Ilias Kasidiaris (R) walk away from the Court House of Athens, 2 October 2013. Photo: EPA/ALEXANDROS VLACHOS

Conservative New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis pushed for a second election after failing to win an outright majority in legislative elections held on May 21.