FRANKFURT – The European nationalist right is here to stay.

Despite the best efforts by the established mainstream parties to stave them off, nationalists now either lead governments or support them in Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Finland.

From June 6 to 9, European parliament elections were held, and the results were a huge success for nationalists, which critics dismiss as far right regardless of the actual policies of each party, across the EU. Once isolated on the political fringes, the nationalist right of France, Italy, Austria and Poland won the most seats allotted to their respective countries, and in Germany the populist right AfD finished ahead of the ruling social democrats.