Leaders of Dutch and Spanish far-right parties are planning to join the new right-wing alliance being formed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The moves will allow Orban to gain enough members to form an official new far-right group in the European Parliament - and potentially undermine the power of Italian Prime Minister Giorgi Meloni, who has lost members of her own group to Orban's Patriots for Europe, Politico notes, UNN reports .
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On July 5, Dutchman Geert Wilders said he wanted his Party for Freedom to join Orban's Patriots for Europe group.
Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain's Voice party, said that his party would also join Orban's alliance, leaving the European Conservatives and Reformists. Meloni. Abascal then sent Meloni an apology message on social media.
According to the rules of procedure of the European Parliament, 23 MEPs from seven countries are required to form an official association. Orban fulfilled the first requirement, having 37 MEPs. And with nationalist, anti-immigrant parties from Hungary, Austria, Portugal and the Czech Republic now joined by groups from Spain and the Netherlands, he only needs one more national party to form his own group in the European Parliament.
So far, Orban has been rejected by the Polish Law and Justice party. And on July 5, the FT reported that the French National Rally, the party of Marine Le Pen, is also in talks to join Orban's alliance.