German vote shows rise of far-right in Europe, but it hasn’t been a steady march– abcnews.com

BRUSSELS — The first victory of the Alternative for Germany in a state election has renewed fears of an ascendant far-right in Europe, as voters repeatedly vent discontent and mainstream leaders grapple with myriad crises, from affordability to Russian aggression and scraps with China and the United States over trade.

But while anti-immigrant, pro-Russian parties have made inroads across the continent in recent years, there have also been notable reversals, and some have softened their views to build coalitions with moderates.

The AfD fell short of an absolute majority in Sunday’s vote in Saxony-Anhalt that would have allowed it to form the first far-right state government since the Nazi era — though it may still manage to do so.

Far-right leaders from Portugal to Austria celebrated the win as they ready for elections across Europe in the coming months. These will show whether the vote was a watershed moment in the demise of an anti-fascist consensus dating back to the World War II, or the latest in a series of elections worldwide in which frustrated voters simply cast out incumbents.

The far-right’s biggest success in recent years was the rise of Giorgia Meloni, who became prime minister of Italy, one of Europe’s most influential countries, at the helm of a party with neo-fascist roots.

But Meloni, who campaigned as an EU-skeptic, took a moderate turn in office that has won praise from across the continent and led to her presiding over the most stable government in decades. She now faces a challenge from the right, in the form of an upstart party led by a retired general.