Marine Le Pen Seeks Alliance With Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), has proposed an alliance with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in anticipation of the upcoming European parliamentary elections.

This suggestion aims to consolidate the fragmented nationalist parties within the EU, potentially increasing their influence in the parliament.

In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Le Pen emphasised the strategic importance of unity, stating, “Now is the time to unite, it would be really helpful. If we succeed, we can be the second group in the European parliament. I think we shouldn’t miss an opportunity like this.”

Le Pen’s call for collaboration follows her party’s decision to sever ties with Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and expel the German party from her pan-European far-right group, Identity and Democracy (ID), citing its toxicity.

This move has further splintered Europe’s nationalist and far-right factions, who, despite sharing views on issues such as immigration and environmental regulations, disagree sharply on matters like support for Ukraine.

Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party currently sits with the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), a different hard-right group in the European Parliament.

Polls suggest that hard-right parties could secure a record 165 seats in the 720-seat assembly in the elections scheduled for June 6-9th. However, these parties remain divided among two discordant parliamentary groups and several unaffiliated national delegations.

The ID group, led by Le Pen, includes the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) and Austria’s Freedom Party (FPÖ). In contrast, the ECR, associated with Meloni, includes Poland’s Law & Justice party (PiS) and Spain’s Vox.

Additionally, 14 seats are predicted for Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, and up to 17 for AfD, who are currently “non-inscrit,” meaning they lack a parliamentary group, thus diminishing their influence.

The formation of a cohesive hard-right “super-group,” as proposed by Le Pen, appears unlikely due to the deep-seated rivalries among these parties.

However, any realignment could significantly impact the workings of the European Parliament and, by extension, the EU.

Meloni’s role is considered crucial in this potential reconfiguration.

Despite her alignment with nationalist sentiments, she has maintained a largely constructive stance within the EU, garnering support from the outgoing centre-right European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, who seeks reappointment.

Aligning with Le Pen and Orbán could jeopardize Meloni’s current influence within the EU.

Nicolai von Ondarza of the German Institute for International Affairs remarked, “Meloni finds herself with two outstretched hands before the elections – one from Le Pen, the other from von der Leyen. She will be able to take only one.”

Meloni has remained noncommittal, stating her goal is to form a centre-right majority that can unseat the current ruling coalition.

She told Italian television, “My principal objective is to build an alternative majority to the one that has governed in recent years, a centre-right majority … that will send the left into opposition.”

Von der Leyen, while open to working with Meloni and the ECR post-elections, faces opposition from the centrist Renew group and the centre-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D).

These groups, likely to finish second behind the European People’s Party (EPP) in the ballot, have expressed strong reservations against any collaboration with the hard right.

Leading leftwing figures have declared they will not form alliances with the far right, and S&D officials have stated they would not support von der Leyen’s reappointment if she seeks far-right backing.

Germany’s centre-left Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, emphasised that the next commission should not rely on far-right support, asserting that its president must be chosen based on a coalition of traditional parties.

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Read Also: Marine Le Pen’s National Rally Party Looks Set to Trounce Macron’s Renaissance Party in Euro Elections.

Marine Le Pen’s eurosceptic National Rally (RN) party is currently leading in the opinion polls with approximately 33% of the vote, which is about double the support forecast for Macron’s centrist, pro-EU party.