An Assessment of the threat of Right-Wing Populism in the European Parliament

Abstract: Over 500 million citizens in Europe are affected by the decisions taken at the European Union. However, the complexities of this supranational institution have people feeling voiceless and disengaged in the political system. The European Parliament - the organ meant to represent the European people – is alleged to being an elitist body that no longer represent the will of the ordinary citizen. This outcry of the people created the pool of potential for the rise of right-wing populist groups across Europe and their support has grown tremendously in what seems like a short span of time. But the tide is about to change. The surge of right-wing populism threatens to take over the European Parliament in the 2019 elections. This research paper sets out to assess the sphere of influence of right-wing populism at the regional level. Using a bottom-up approach, the paper focuses on the attitudes and perceptions of the people and analyses their opinions by incorporating Eatwell and Goodwin’s four D criteria. As the analytical framework, Eatwell and Goodwin’s criteria offers the avenue for inspecting the legitimacy of the right-wing ideology. Once this is established, the question of influence is answered by looking at the potential implication of right-wing power. As a qualitative case study, the research implores the use of raw data from existing secondary databases. The paper acknowledges the extensive studies and cross-examinations that have been conducted at the national level and seeks to build upon this knowledge and illustrate the interconnected nature of our societies. In addition, this research paper was completed before the May 2019 elections were concluded. The study indicates that right-wing supporters are motivated by the distrust of politicians and institutions, the destruction of the national group’s historic identity, perceived deprivation from rising inequalities and the de-alignment of people’s political positions. Furthermore, findings show a rising pattern of grievances rather than its decline. An indication that the phenomena of populism is here to stay. The polarization of right-wing populist groups in the political system threatens to tame the tone of politics if the institution does not take preventive action – some of which are discussed in the paper. With this in mind, the research paper acknowledges the threat of right-wing populism in the European Parliament.