Image credit: Carl Court/Getty Images

June 05, 2019

Why the fragmentation of European politics could bode poorly for democracy

Reaching consensus in the new E.U. Parliament just got harder.

By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Erica Frantz and Joseph Wright

After last week’s elections, the European Parliament is more fragmented than ever — growing discontent with the mainstream meant that centrist and mainstream parties took a beating. For the first time in 40 years, the center-right and the center-left will no longer control a majority of the European Parliament, and power will be spread over eight party groupings rather than seven in the last parliament. Although the far right did well, so too did the liberals and Greens.

This mirrors the fragmentation that has been happening in national European parliaments. Across the continent, political party systems are splintering. Some of this reflects the resurgence of existing parties. Support for the Greens, for example, has risen in recent years. But much of the fragmentation has been the result of the emergence of new political parties. Since 2000, 94 new parties have won seats in national legislatures in Europe.

Read the full article in The Washington Post.

  • Commentary
    • European Leadership Network
    • January 31, 2023
    European Integration’s New Geopolitical Momentum

    Offering more tangible benefits of accession prior to full membership will both keep candidate countries motivated to continue reforms and allow for a more gradual adjustment ...

    By Nicholas Lokker

  • Commentary
    • Inkstick
    • May 4, 2022
    Can Macron Play Nice with Other Europeans?

    To fully realize his ambitions for the bloc during his second term, macron will need to take greater care to forge consensus across eu member states, rather than repeating his...

    By Nicholas Lokker

  • Podcast
    • April 21, 2022
    Macron vs. Le Pen Redux, with Célia Belin and Ben Haddad

    What can we expect from the final round of the French presidential election? The possibility of a Le Pen presidency poses major concerns for the future of the European Union a...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Célia Belin & Benjamin Haddad

  • Commentary
    • Journal of Democracy
    • July 15, 2021
    How Personalist Politics is Changing Democracies

    This rapid increase is alarming: Personalist rule brings with it a host of negative outcomes compared to other types of authoritarian systems....

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Carisa Nietsche, Erica Frantz & Joseph Wright

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia