Parties

FN and AfD: sisters, cousins, or Strangers?

The French National Front and Alternative for Germany have in common, but some of it separates you. In both countries, the parties of the right bring now in position for important elections in 2017.

So far, Marine Le Pen (left) and Frauke Petry are have never occurred together in Public

As the Alternative for Germany, at the state election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania from the state about 21 percent of the votes repeated, and thus, the CDU was ahead, tweeted, Marine Le Pen: “the patriots of The AfD have swept away Merkel’s party. My Congratulations.”

Actually, Marine Le Pen hardly needs a boost from the outside. She hurries anyway of electoral success to electoral success. In the recent European elections, the Front National even became the strongest party. It was not always so. Her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, was indeed spectacular in the runoff of the presidential election in 2002, but in the second round, the ranks closed against him, with a large majority, the Gaullist Jacques Chirac won. For a large part of the French open anti-Semite Jean-Marie Le Pen was at the end, unelectable. The gas chambers of the Nazis, he had called “just a Detail in the history of the Second world war”.

When his daughter Marine in 2011, took over the party leadership, and deprived the father and ruled him out eventually because of “serious lapses” from the party. Since then, she tries a more moderate language and has success with it.

For father Le Pen, the gas chambers of the Nazis were “only a Detail of the history of the Second world war”

Fear of globalization

Most of their political ideas, however, are hardly less radical. She wants a return to the Franc, a withdrawal from NATO and a referendum on further EU membership. The Brexit-the decision of the British you are playing in the hands. Non-French people in France should be reduced to the social assistance clearly, the French citizenship you are supposed to get, only by lineage or merit, and not if you “only born” in France.

Together, the voters of the AfD, Front National and other right-wing parties in Europe is the fear of globalisation and loss of power of the state, say most experts. The refugee crisis have this fear. The French radicalism, researchers Nicolas Lebourg believes that the populists, with the migrant influx “from the multiple crises hitting at the same time benefit”, including the financial crisis and the crisis in Europe. In the words of Jean-Dominique Giulani, Chairman of the Paris, Robert Schuman Foundation, are worthy of the votes for right-wing populists “as a reaction to the lack of credible answers in Europe and a Protest against the States that do not find solutions for the issues that concern the people.” Immigration and identity issues, Giulani, had become very large topics which would be taken up by the right-wing populists.

International contacts – with the Austrian freedom party presidential candidate Norbert Hofer

Le Pen needs international contacts

So far, the AfD is more than the distance to the Front National. The AfD members of the European Parliament, Marcus Pretzell has connected Le pen ENF group (“a Europe of Nations and freedom”) in the European Parliament. His partner, the AfD Co-chair Frauke Petry, has met, however, with Le Pen. The Frenchwoman Claire Demesmay of the German society for Foreign policy, believes “that the AfD didn’t win in Germany when it shows the Front National”, the FN applies in Germany as right-wing. A party associated with anti-Semitism, whether a little, “what, you can’t score points in Germany”. The topics and the orientation but sees a lot of Similarities.

Conversely, whether it is a French politician who wanted to be President to show is important, “that she has international contacts and on a world level, a certain amount of recognition, and, in addition, Germany belongs to”. The FN occurs in his program – as a counter – proposal to the EU for an Alliance between Russia, France and Germany, Demesmay, with “a kind of triumvirate,” a “global leadership”. Contact person in Germany for this project, the AfD was.

FN-poster for the regional elections 2015: “Choose your suburb, vote for the Front National”

Other parties assume FN-programme

But while the AfD has to give in Germany, with a growing but still small role, is aiming for Marine Le Pen in the coming year is nothing less than the indentation in the Elysée Palace. Surveys indicate that they may be in the runoff, possibly even as a candidate with the most votes. This depends, of course, especially from the other candidates. The incumbent, François Hollande, will be given no chances, he should compete again. Another socialist is at the Moment considered out of the game.

So, it comes down to the candidate of the conservative Republicans. The former President, Nicolas Sarkozy, could Le Pen-outdo him in the first round, and even on different polls. The moderate, legitimate, applicable, Alain Juppé, had this therefore the better cards. However, for the runoff, most political observers expect a repeat of the phenomenon of 2002, when Marine Le pen’s father’s house lost high against Chirac: Even the most Left, so the forecast, then select gritting his teeth, the conservative candidate, in order to prevent Le Pen. And there’s this other candidate, after all, a Republican will be in France the calculus: Who is the presidential candidate for the Republicans, will move into the Elysée Palace.

Claire Demesmay keeps the chances of Marine Le Pen is the next French President, for “equal to zero”. More likely, however, “that other parties assume some of the ideas of the National Front”. This is already the case. “This is a real and immediate danger.”