Reuters Europe's economic and debt crisis has boosted populist parties in many countries, making government harder, but political realities are catching up with the angry brigade. Some have hit an electoral ceiling while others are on the way back down. From Amsterdam to Athens, anti-establishment groups of the far right and hard left have stormed from obscurity by blaming the euro and the European Union for the crisis and rejecting either austerity or bailouts for debt-laden states. Far-right Marine Le Pen, who advocates leaving the euro and reversing immigration, and hard leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon, who rejects Europe's budget discipline pact, are set to win nearly one-third of the votes between them in the first round of France's presidential election on April 22. “These people may not have taken power anywhere in Europe, or headed a government, but they have a real, profound impact by redefining the terms of the debate,” said Jean-Yves Camus, a French political scientist who specialises in the extreme-right. He cited a backlash against immigration and multiculturalism in many countries, as well as a rise in nationalism and hostility to European integration. Conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed to halve immigration, expel militant preachers and introduce compulsory labelling on halal meat in a bid to claw back rightist voters from Le Pen. For her part, Le Pen said she wanted to “get France out of the prison of the euro zone in which its economy has been incarcerated for 10 years”. In Greece, suffering the fourth year of a deep recession amid harsh austerity measures as part of a second international bailout, opinion polls show a majority of voters may back radical fringe parties in a May 6 general election. Nine parties, from the communist KKE to the extreme-right Golden Dawn, could jump the three percent threshold for seats in parliament. Most reject the steep pay and pension cuts imposed by the EU and the International Monetary Fund. That could make it hard for the mainstream conservative New Democracy party and center-left PASOK socialists to form a viable coalition and implement the austerity program, although that is seen as the most likely outcome. Greece is not the only country where political fragmentation and the rise of protest parties pose a threat to efforts to overcome the euro zone's debt crisis. Among the most influential groups is Geert Wilders' Dutch Freedom Party (PVV), which holds the fate of the minority center-right government — and possibly of Europe's budget discipline treaty — in its hands in tough budget negotiations. The charismatic, silver-haired Wilders wants out of the euro and has vehemently opposed using Dutch taxpayers' money to rescue Greece, Ireland and Portugal, making it hard for Prime Minister Mark Rutte to support the bailouts. The Eurosceptical, anti-immigrant PVV, which supports Rutte in parliament except on the bailouts, risks losing support whether it accepts unpopular budget cuts that would hit welfare and mortgage tax relief or scuppers a budget deal and risks bringing down the government. “Part of the PVV voters are dissatisfied with the economic situation and also think that the PVV will agree with measures which cost them money,” said Dutch pollster Maurice de Hond. “Those who left the PVV give Wilders low marks. So the chance that they come back is low.” Latest opinion polls show the PVV losing ground at about 13 percent, only enough to win 19-20 seats in the 150-seat parliament, down from its current 24. “Even if the government survives on the budget, it could well fall over the (EU) fiscal compact,” said Alastair Newton, senior political analyst at Nomura in London. “Given the Euroscepticism of the Dutch electorate, it could make any further euro zone support impossible.” Italy's populist anti-immigration Northern League, which was an influential junior partner in government until Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was forced out last November, is in turmoil over allegations of corruption against its iconic founder. Firebrand leader Umberto Bossi, who has long denounced “Roma Ladrona” (Rome, the big thief), resigned last week over charges that taxpayers' money was used to pay for renovations at his villa and holidays for his children. __
