(© picture-alliance/dpa)

  Rise of the right

  5 Debates

The four-party coalition government in The Hague has collapsed. Geert Wilders' right-wing populist PVV had presented plans for a significant tightening of the asylum laws last week and made the party's continued participation conditional on their acceptance, but the three other coalition partners rejected the ultimatum. After a crisis meeting on Tuesday, the PVV recalled its ministers and Prime Minister Dick Schoof resigned. Europe's press takes stock and looks ahead.

In the Romanian presidential run-off vote on Sunday, Nicușor Dan, a pro-European independent candidate and mayor of Bucharest, is pitted against George Simion from the ultra-right AUR party. Simion scored a clear victory in the first round of the election, securing 41 percent of the vote compared to Dan's 21 percent. Tensions are running high in the commentary sections.

Coalition negotiations between Austria's ÖVP and FPÖ parties have failed, with FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl citing a dispute over the distribution of ministerial posts as the main reason. This comes after coalition talks between the SPÖ, ÖVP and Neos parties were also unsuccessful. Commentators analyse the causes and anticipate what will come next.

Jean-Marie Le Pen died on Tuesday at the age of 96. Having founded the far-right Front National in 1972 - the predecessor of today's Rassemblement National - he reached the runoff vote in the French presidential election in 2002. In 2011 he handed over the party leadership to his daughter Marine. What is his legacy?

Austria's President Alexander Van der Bellen has tasked the leader of the right-wing populist FPÖ, Herbert Kickl, with forming a government and starting coalition talks with the conservative ÖVP. The head of state said that he had not taken this step lightly and would ensure that the principles of the constitution are respected. Commentators discuss the ramifications.