Populism

Keir Starmer is banking on Nigel Farage being toxic. What if he’s wrong?
There are big potential pitfalls in trying to build an anti-Farage electoral coalition.

In Transylvania, fear haunts Romania’s troubled democracy

Populist currents and fragile coalitions: Trump’s shadow over Europe

Centrist Nicușor Dan faces uphill battle to beat Simion in Romanian presidential runoff

How Trump lost conservatives the Australian election
Pope Francis, the isolated climate moralist
In the weeks before his death, Francis repeated a decade-old plea for a break from both Trumpian greed and the left’s economic rationalism.
Andrej Babiš is a nightmare for European security, warns Czech election rival
Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský tells POLITICO that the potential new PM is propagating “Russian narratives” in Europe.
Czech PM accuses election front-runner of helping Putin
Skirmishes heat up ahead of this fall’s vote in Czechia, which threatens to dramatically reorient Prague’s political direction.
Trump has a new European leader coming to his doorstep
Mark Carney, Canada’s likely next prime minister, continues to be held in high regard across the Atlantic, where he spent the better part of the last decade.
Starmer looks to Germany and Australia for advice — on what not to do
Bruising times for center-left parties have U.K. Labour looking abroad — and trying to dodge the same pitfalls.
How Czech-Slovak relations went south as Robert Fico turned east
Once united within a single country, the two republics are mired in a bitter feud.
Musk congratulates far-right Weidel for coming 2nd in German election
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was also pleased to see the Alternative for Germany’s vote share growing.
Alice Weidel’s moment has arrived
One in five voters in the German election favored the far right. The AfD leader’s dramatic rise terrifies many of the others.
Keir Starmer and the curse of ‘lawyer brain’
The British prime minister is a methodical lawyer shaped by international rules. His critics argue that’s dulling his political instincts.
Rishi Sunak and David Cameron to cash in with US speaking gigs
Former British prime ministers sign up to offer their wisdom at the Washington Speakers Bureau.
Germany’s Habeck warns of an Austria-style right-wing wave
The economy minister and Green Party chancellor candidate says Germany could follow Austria’s far-right path, as the CDU signals willingness to erode its firewall against the AfD ahead of a pivotal election.
How to survive a phone call with Donald Trump
Former Downing Street officials tell POLITICO how U.K. prime ministers tried to play the TV show host at his own game … without getting fired.
Orbán’s ‘lockdown orgy’ acolyte returns in bid to save face
Former MEP József Szájer, a close ally of the Hungarian PM, tells POLITICO he wants to show he’s more than just a meme.
Crisis? What crisis? Fico ally brushes off threat to bring down Slovak government
The opposition in Bratislava is angling to topple the prime minister’s Russia-friendly administration.
Who’s been invited? World’s far-right populists pack guest list for Trump’s inauguration
The U.S. president-elect lays down a clear ideological marker with his unusual invitees from across the globe.
Fico’s rival pushes snap election as Slovak PM’s Moscow trip backfires
Slovak opposition says Robert Fico’s trip was a “disgrace” to Slovakia.
Orbán’s power to disrupt is exaggerated
The economic difficulties facing the Hungarian leader with will further undermine his ability to hijack — let alone drive — the EU’s agenda.