The AfD is not in the new European radical right alliance, as are Le Pen’s and Salvini’s parties.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) will not be part of the new European family, the Patriots for Europe (PFE), the Hungarian government announced on Monday. The far-right National Rally of France, led by Marine Le Pen, is joining. With 30 of the 720 seats in the European Parliament, the Patriots immediately leave behind its conservative, eurosceptic rival, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), which was previously the third-largest party and the leader of the opposition in the European Parliament.

Previously, most of the nationalist parties were affiliated with the European Identity and Democracy faction, from which Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his party were excluded. At the end of May, the AfD was also expelled from the Identity after a controversial statement by AfD leader Maximilian Krah about members of the Nazi SS. The AfD announced on 6 July that it did not intend to join the new far-right bloc that would suit the nationalists – the National Front had previously indicated that it did not want to join the Germans in a single European party.

At the end of June, Orbán announced on behalf of his Fidesz party, together with the Czech ANO party and the Austrian Freedom Party, the creation of the Patriots for Europe party. With the addition of the National Front, the Patriots not only won enough seats to form a new European party, but also became the largest far-right family. Le Pen’s French party has turned away from national identity, as has the Italian far-right party League From Matteo Salvini and Vlaams Belang. Spain’s Vox has moved from ECR. PVV and Portugal’s Chega have also joined. They are putting an end to the exclusion of Orban due to his pro-Russian positions.

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