Europe's Rightward Surge Defies Elite Expectations
Anti-immigration parties surge across Europe, winning seats and government positions as voters reject open-border policies. The political realignment reshapes the continent as right-wing movements enter mainstream power.
Europeans are rewriting their continent's political future. Anti-immigration parties that once occupied the margins now hold 26 percent of European Parliament seats, up from 18 percent in 2019, with seven EU member states placing such parties in government.
Voters are rejecting open-border policies championed by establishment leaders. The shift represents a historic break with decades of elite consensus.
"This is not a short-term trend but rather a political movement that has been building for nearly two decades, with a steady upward trajectory," says Pascal Delwit, political science professor at Université libre de Bruxelles.
The transformation takes shape in unexpected places. Cyprus offers a vivid example. The ELAM party doubled its parliamentary seats from four to eight in May elections, capturing 10.9 percent of votes and becoming the nation's third-largest political force.
"Elam is the sole winner of Sunday's election, with a clear victory that gives it an increased say in passing legislation," electoral expert Christoforos Christoforou states.
Founded in 2008 as the Cypriot branch of Greece's Golden Dawn movement, ELAM now enters mainstream politics despite its neo-fascist origins.
Germany witnessed similar gains. The Alternative for Germany party finished second in February 2025 federal elections with 20.8 percent support, doubling its 2021 result. Across the channel, Reform UK gained approximately 1,450 seats and control of 14 councils in May 2026 local elections, polling at 26 percent nationwide.
The movement spans Europe's political landscape, and the fuel is clear: immigration concerns. A French CSA poll reveals 83 percent of citizens favor deporting foreigners who commit crimes or remain long-term unemployed, including 90 percent of 18-24 year olds.
Spain's mass amnesty program drew 1.3 million applications by June 30, far exceeding the government's 500,000 estimate. The numbers demonstrate overwhelming demand for immigration policy.
EU institutions struggle to keep pace with voter demands. The bloc's deportation rate stands at only 28-29 percent, with approximately 33,860 actual returns per quarter against 117,500 formal orders.
The EU Migration and Asylum Pact implemented on June 12 aims to improve enforcement. "The new regulation will speed up the return process and increase returns of persons who have no legal right to stay in the EU," says Cyprus Deputy Migration Minister Nicholas Ioannides.
Transatlantic conservative alignment strengthens the movement. The Trump administration's November 2025 national security strategy explicitly encouraged "patriotic European parties" and "revival of spirit." Vice President JD Vance campaigned for Hungary's Viktor Orbán and criticized political exclusion of right-wing parties at the Munich Security Conference. Elon Musk publicly endorsed AfD and anti-immigration demonstrations.
Normalization of previously fringe parties accelerates across Europe. ELAM's evolution from Golden Dawn affiliate to parliamentary force exemplifies the broader trend. The party now holds eight seats in Cyprus's legislature after winning its first European Parliament seat in 2024. Seven EU states currently have right-wing parties in government: Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands and Slovakia.
The political establishment faces growing legitimacy gaps as voters demand immigration controls mainstream parties have failed to deliver. Spain's amnesty application surge reveals policy misalignment, while French polling shows overwhelming public support for deportation measures across political spectrums, including 69 percent of left-wing voters.
This structural realignment shows no signs of slowing. European voters send a clear message: they want immigration controls, not establishment promises. The continent's political center has shifted, with anti-immigration parties moving from protest movements to governing forces. The rightward surge represents a fundamental challenge to EU consensus that will reshape European politics for years.