In the United States, the Republican Party suffered a crushing defeat in the midterm elections, which was seen as a slap in the face to President Trump. In Brazil, right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro lost the election and fled to the United States. In Europe, authoritarian politicians such as Hungary’s Orban and Serbia’s Vucic have stepped down. “Trump’s defeat breaks the narrative that right-wing populism is unstoppable internationally,” said Oliver Lembcke, a political scientist at the University of Bochum.
Many left-wing politicians in Europe even think a reversal is underway. Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez also talked about the end of the "far-right wave" in other countries on Wednesday. He wrote on the X platform that the American people voted against policies that plunge people into poverty, against hatred, against machismo, against climate change deniers and elite privileges. As leader of the Socialist Workers Party, Sanchez himself faces elections and is targeting conservatives and the far right in the country.
In Germany, Ines Schwerdtner, co-chairman of the Left Party, told Reuters: "This is a tragic defeat for the global right." Dirk Wiese, chairman of the Social Democratic Party's parliamentary group, said the election results showed that "this wave of right-wing populism can also be contained." He believes this brings hope for closer alliances with partners such as Canada.
Internationally, there is a growing opposition to Trump’s erratic nationalist line. German Chancellor Mertz has recently been actively lobbying in Japan, South Korea and Singapore, calling for the establishment of a new global free trade alliance. The "Allied Alliance" led by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is slowly forming around the world, and its goal is not only to confront China, but also to confront Trump.
The Alternative for Germany takes a hit
The results of the U.S. midterm elections are also a blow to the Alternative for Germany party, which has relied heavily on support from Trump, his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement and Musk. Political scientist Lembeck said, "The U.S. midterm elections showed that populist parties may not be able to fulfill their promises once they are in power. This is undoubtedly a disturbing signal for the German Alternative for Germany party."
Weidel, one of the leaders of the Alternative for Germany party, has quickly distanced himself from Trump and personally blamed him for the defeat. "Trump promised voters that he would not pursue an interventionist foreign policy," she told news portal t-online. "Now, his violation of this promise has come back to bite the Republican Party." Bernd Baumann, chairman of the Bundestag caucus of the German Alternative for Germany, criticized the U.S. import tariffs in an interview with Handelsblatt and said that the Alternative for Germany will now pin its hopes on Trump's successor.
Political scientist Lembeck believes that the results of the U.S. midterm elections do not necessarily mean that the support rate of the German Alternative for Germany will decrease because the political environments of the two countries are completely different. He pointed out that "in Hungary, the United States, Brazil and Serbia, there were specific domestic issues that affected the election results."
Which trend will prevail won't be known until next year. France is holding presidential and parliamentary elections in a few months, with the right-wing populist National Rally (RN) party currently leading in the polls. In Poland, pro-European Prime Minister Tusk will face a difficult re-election battle.
