Right Wing Surge: European Populists Make Gains in Parliament

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Mar 5, 2019

The right-wing surge across Europe has made its way to Estonia.

The latest results from the Estonian general election show that the Reform Party came out on top with 28.8 percent of the vote. The Reform Party is known for its platform of lower taxes and limited government and has held control of the Prime Minster position from 2005 to 2016.

The current Prime Minister Juri Ratas’ Center Party came in second place with 23.1 percent of vote.

There was also good news for supporters of populism. The anti-mass migration Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (EKRE) attained 17.8 percent of the vote.

The Reform and Center parties, the two political powerhouses in Estonia since the country gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, came together to prevent EKRE from gaining electoral traction.

EKRE was able to achieve 8.1 percent of the vote and gained seven Riigikogu (parliament) seats in the 2015 elections. With 18 percent of the vote, the EKRE now has 19 seats in the Estonian parliament.

Martin Helme, the son of EKRE party leader Mart Helme, said that EKRE’s gains are part of a larger trend sweeping across Europe:

“I think Estonia is no different than almost all other countries in Europe, where there’s a serious public demand for political parties who will stand up against the globalist agenda and the ever-increasing movement of power from (EU) member states to Brussels.”

Indeed, Helme is on to something.

The rise of populist parties like Vox in Spain and Interior Minster Matteo Salvini in Italy are responses to the EU’s failed migratory policies.

One needn’t look any further at France, Sweden, and the UK to see what happens when you mix a bloated welfare state with mass migration. It’s a social calamity waiting to happen.

Estonia has been one of the world leaders in economic freedom, currently ranked in 15th place according to the Heritage’s 2019 Index of Economic Freedom, since it separated from the Soviet Union. Under the tutelage of visionary leaders like Mart Laar, Estonia has embraced markets and rejected central planning.

It’s good to see that Estonia is taking a rational approach to immigration as well. Eastern Europe and the Baltic states seem to be the only bastions of reason left in the EU.