Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has emerged as the strongest party in another state election, deepening pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz and exposing the growing strength of a political movement that was once confined to the margins of the country’s postwar politics.
The AfD’s advance in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania follows its breakthrough in Saxony-Anhalt earlier this month, giving the party successive first-place finishes in eastern Germany. The results have intensified questions over the durability of the political “firewall” maintained by Germany’s mainstream parties, which have so far refused to govern with the AfD.
The gains also carry particular historical weight in Germany, where the rise of the far right is closely scrutinised because of the country’s Nazi past. While the AfD is a contemporary electoral party and cannot simply be equated with Adolf Hitler’s regime, controversies involving some of its politicians over Nazi-era language and symbols have repeatedly brought that history back into the political debate.
The broader pattern
The trend is not a single worldwide ideological movement. Across countries, the common threads are often immigration and national identity, dissatisfaction with established parties, economic insecurity, distrust of institutions and demands for stronger national sovereignty, but the actual political programs differ substantially.
From Germany and France to Italy, the United States, India and parts of Latin America, the political map is therefore becoming more fragmented. The following country-by-country snapshot examines where nationalist and right-wing forces have gained ground, what is driving their support and how their rise is reshaping domestic politics.
Research cited by Pew reveals that right-wing populist parties have simultaneously suffered setbacks in some countries, including Hungary and Sweden, while they made reverberating revival in many.
| Country |
What has happened / why it matters |
| Germany |
AfD: The far-right party has moved from the political fringe to Germany’s second-largest Bundestag party and, in September 2026, won state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Its advance is particularly significant given Germany’s Nazi past and the mainstream parties’ firewall against cooperation with it. |
| Italy |
Brothers of Italy: Giorgia Meloni’s nationalist-conservative party won the 2022 general election and leads the government, making Italy one of Europe’s clearest examples of a nationalist right-wing party reaching national power. |
| France |
National Rally: Marine Le Pen’s party has become a major force in French politics, although it has not yet taken the presidency. Its strength has made the 2027 presidential contest a central test for Europe’s right-wing nationalist movement. |
| United Kingdom |
Reform UK: Nigel Farage’s party has transformed from a protest movement into a major electoral force, building its appeal around immigration, national sovereignty and opposition to established parties. |
| Hungary |
Fidesz: Viktor Orbán’s nationalist-conservative movement dominated Hungarian politics for years, but suffered a major national electoral defeat in 2026, illustrating that the rightward trend has also produced significant reversals. |
| Sweden |
Sweden Democrats: The nationalist right has had substantial influence over Swedish politics and supported the governing bloc, although the party suffered a setback in the September 2026 election, falling from second to third place. |
| Netherlands |
PVV: Geert Wilders’ nationalist, anti-immigration party has become a central force in Dutch politics and has participated in government, although its political fortunes have fluctuated. |
| Poland |
Law and Justice/right-wing camp: Poland has experienced a prolonged nationalist-conservative political shift, with the Law and Justice movement dominating national politics for much of the past decade and continuing to shape the country’s political debate. |
| United States |
Trump/Republican right: Donald Trump’s return to the presidency has reinforced the strength of nationalist and populist politics in the world’s largest Western democracy, with immigration, trade, national sovereignty and an “America First” foreign-policy approach prominent in the agenda. |
| India |
BJP/Hindu nationalism: Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party remains the dominant force within the governing NDA, combining economic nationalism and a Hindu-nationalist political identity with a broad national electoral base. The BJP won 240 Lok Sabha seats in 2024, while the NDA won 293. |
| Argentina |
Javier Milei: The libertarian-populist president’s rise represents a different strand of the global right, combining radical economic liberalism with strong anti-establishment and nationalist rhetoric. |
| Colombia |
Abelardo de la Espriella: Colombia elected the nationalist conservative political newcomer president in June 2026, marking a sharp rightward movement in a country historically associated with centre-left politics. |
| Israel |
Right-wing/religious bloc: Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition has represented one of Israel’s most right-wing governments, with nationalist and religious parties playing a central role in policymaking and security debates. |
| Indonesia |
Prabowo Subianto: Prabowo’s victory represents another major Asian example of nationalist-populist politics reaching the presidency, although Indonesia’s political traditions and ideological landscape differ considerably from Europe’s far right. |
| Turkey |
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: Erdoğan’s long-running political dominance combines Turkish nationalism, conservative religious politics and strong executive authority, making Turkey an important non-European example of the broader nationalist-populist trend. |
