WikiLeaks logo
The Global Intelligence Files,
files released so far...

The Global Intelligence Files

Search the GI Files

The Global Intelligence Files


DISCUSSION - Nationalist parties in Europe

Released on 2012-10-12 10:00 GMT

Email-ID 5536504
Date 2011-11-02 15:48:48
Link: themeData

Nationalist parties in Europe

The fear of nationalist political parties has been a constant factor in
geography generated peoples that were isolated from each other for
centuries. This situation produced both a very strong feeling of belonging
to "the homeland" and a deep suspicion to foreigners.

After the Second World War, Europe tried to build institutions that could
soften nationalist sentiments and dilute them in a continental sense of
belonging. In return, the European Union offered prosperity and the
unemployment rises throughout the continent and the future of the European
Union is at stake, that agreement seems to weaken. Therefore, the question
is how influential are the ideas that propose a new era of strong,
sovereign nation-states.

globalization has at least two main characteristics: the arrival of a
flood of immigrants and the loss of national sovereignty to the
institutions of the EU. In response to these two factors, many political
parties propose measures to protect the national culture.

Parties, ideologies and popular support

nationalist parties highlight the continent's Christian origins, and the
incompatibility with Muslim customs and beliefs. Episodes such as the
rejection of the construction of minarets in Switzerland and the rise of
nationalist politics under the late Pim Fortyun and Geert Wilders in the
Netherlands show the discomfort that those parties feel against Islam. In
Eastern Europe, the main concern is the presence of minority populations
-in particular, Roma ethnicity. Hungary's Jobbik party, for instance,
warns about the growth of "gypsy crime" in the country and there have been
violent demonstrations by the Magayr Garda (Hungarian Guard Movement), the
paramilitary wing of the Party (registered as a cultural organization in

These parties frequently criticize the abuse of the welfare state made by
the minorities. The Sweden Democrats, for example, assure claim that the
welfare state is at risk of disappearing with the constant arrival of
immigrants, while the National Union Attack of Bulgaria criticizes the
country's ethnic and religious minorities -particularly Turks and Muslim
Bulgarians, or Pomaks- for allegedly being too privileged.

much sovereignty to the Union. Organizations such as the Freedom Party of
Austria and the Danish People's Party show a long history of rejection of
the EU, while the Swiss People's Party wants to keep Switzerland out of
the bloc. Other parties, however, accept membership in the Union but
refuse to its expansion, in particular the incorporation of Turkey.

The electoral growth of the nationalist parties between 2009 and 2011 made
the front pages of newspapers. However, a larger series -whose data goes
back to elections held a decade ago-, shows that in most countries these
parties have a more moderate electoral weight.

The European country with the longest tradition of supporting nationalist
groups is Switzerland. In the last three federal elections, the vote for
these parties averaged 28%, with the Swiss People's Party as the prime
example. It is followed by France, where the National Front holds a solid
support at around 14%. Netherlands, Austria, and Denmark show figures
around 12 and 13%, while Finland has had a strong growth in the last two

support to nationalist groups. In between, countries like Italy, Hungary
and Bulgaria have high enough numbers for these parties to achieve a
modest presence in the legislative branch. However, popular support
doesn't always mean access to the Parliament.

Parties, political systems and elections

collapse of the USSR in Eastern Europe, European countries redesigned much
of their political systems. This often included the creation of electoral
systems that sought to prevent extremist parties from coming to power. In
some cases, high voting thresholds were set to enter Parliament. In others
cases, voting systems were established in two rounds, in order to filter
out smaller parties.

In most of the European countries seats of the Parliament are allocated in
a proportional way, representing the amount of votes that each party has
received. However, countries such as Denmark, Netherlands and Spain have
low electoral thresholds (under 3%), wich means that it is relatively easy
to gain seats. On the contrary, some Eastern countries such as Czech
Republic, Eslovakia and Poland have higher thresholds (over 5%), wich
makes it harder for a small party to make it to the national Congress.

In two countries is particularly difficult to access parliament: England
single-member districts. Furthermore, France has a two-round system, which
has been designed to eliminate small parties.

The consequences of those systems are notable: the French National Front
often gets support from around 15% of the population. This would ensure a
robust presence in the Parliament of almost any European country, but in
Independence Party (UKIP) is a relatively small entity, the 3,1% of votes
that it received in the last elections would have given it some seats in
Finland or Portugal, but none in the UK.

This opens up many interpretations. On the one hand, low thresholds could
be seen as risky because they allow access to power to fringe parties. At
the same time they force the mainstream parties to adjust their policies
to attract votes away from the smaller groups, so the very issues that
make these groups popular tend to be absorbed into the mainstream. In any
case, each system must be examined independently, as parties develop their
political strategies according to the environment in which they operate.



Link: Main-File

Average vote to nationalist parties, last 3
Greece Finland France Switzerland
Sweden Romania Netherlands
United Hungary Austria
Germany Bulgaria Denmark
Poland Slovakia Belgium
Czech Slovenia Latvia
Lithuania Italy

Voting systems

Link: Main-File

Proportional - Proportional -
Threshold over Threshold under 5% Mixed Plurality
Czech Republic Austria Germany United
Estonia Bulgaria Hungary France
Latvia Finland Lithuania
Poland Greece
Slovakia Italy
Belgium Portugal
Romania Slovenia

Average vote to nationalist parties - top 5 countries

average votes top 5

Adriano Bosoni - ADP

Attached Files