| Far-right parties won power in 12 countries between 2022 and 2026 across Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East, in one of the most significant electoral shifts in democratic history, with parties classified by political scientists and international media as far-right, national-populist, or right-wing populist winning governing roles in Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Israel, Finland, Turkey, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Argentina, Austria, the United States, and the Czech Republic through democratic elections. This article documents each of the 12 countries with the named party, leader, vote share, and year, identifies the four policy themes common to their campaigns, and describes the governance changes that have followed these results. Universalnest.com covers this within its Global Politics and Governance reporting across Current Affairs. |
The 12 Countries Where Far-Right Parties Won Power Between 2022 and 2026: A Reference Table
The 12 countries where far-right or right-wing populist parties won governmental power between 2022 and 2026 span four geographic regions and represent a combined population of over 1.5 billion people, with each win coming through a national democratic election that produced either a prime minister, a president, or a governing coalition partner role.
A note on classification: these parties are described in academic literature and international journalism as far-right, national-populist, or right-wing populist. Several of the parties dispute this label and describe themselves as national-conservative, libertarian, or Christian democrat. Where a party’s self-description differs significantly from the academic classification, that distinction is noted in the country entries.
| Country | Year | Party | Leader | Vote Share | Position Gained |
| Hungary | April 2022 | Fidesz | Viktor Orbán | 54.13% | PM 4th term; supermajority |
| Italy | September 2022 | Brothers of Italy (FdI) | Giorgia Meloni | 26% | PM; first female PM of Italy |
| Sweden | September 2022 | Sweden Democrats (SD) | Jimmie Åkesson | 20.5% | Coalition partner; first governing role |
| Israel | November 2022 | Likud + Otzma Yehudit + Religious Zionism | Benjamin Netanyahu | Coalition | PM; most right-wing coalition in Israeli history |
| Finland | April 2023 | Finns Party (PS) | Riikka Purra | 20.1% | Coalition partner; 2nd-largest governing party |
| Turkey | May 2023 | AKP + MHP | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | 52.18% runoff | President; 3rd presidential term |
| Slovakia | September 2023 | SMER-SSD | Robert Fico | 22.9% | PM; 3rd time in office |
| Netherlands | November 2023 | Party for Freedom (PVV) | Geert Wilders | 23.6% | Largest party; coalition formation |
| Argentina | November 2023 | La Libertad Avanza | Javier Milei | 55.7% runoff | President from December 10, 2023 |
| Austria | September 2024 | Freedom Party (FPÖ) | Herbert Kickl | 29.2% | Largest party; government from January 2025 |
| USA | November 2024 | Republican Party | Donald Trump | 49.8% | President from January 20, 2025 |
| Czech Republic | October 2024 | ANO | Andrej Babiš | 30.5% | Largest party; coalition forming |
Eight European Far-Right Election Wins Between 2022 and 2024: Country by Country
Eight of the 12 far-right wins between 2022 and 2026 occurred in Europe, with governing roles confirmed in Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Austria, and the Czech Republic across three years that political analysts described as a historic rightward shift in European politics.
Hungary (April 2022)
Fidesz, led by Viktor Orbán, won 54.13% of the vote in April 2022, securing a fourth consecutive term and maintaining the two-thirds parliamentary supermajority that allows constitutional amendments. Orbán has governed Hungary continuously since 2010. Fidesz describes itself as national-conservative; political scientists classify it as illiberal right or national-populist. Orbán won a reduced majority in April 2026 following the most credible opposition challenge since 2006.
Italy (September 2022)
Brothers of Italy (FdI), led by Giorgia Meloni, won 26% and secured 119 seats in September 2022, enabling Meloni to become Italy’s first female Prime Minister. FdI’s institutional origins trace to the Italian Social Movement (MSI), which had neo-fascist roots. Meloni has moderated her international and EU positioning since taking office. FdI won 28.8% of Italian votes in the June 2024 EU parliamentary elections, nearly quadrupling its 2019 vote share.
Sweden (September 2022)
The Sweden Democrats (SD), led by Jimmie Åkesson, won 20.5% in September 2022, becoming Sweden’s second-largest party. SD provided external parliamentary support for Ulf Kristersson’s centre-right government, marking the first time a party with SD’s political lineage played any governing role in Sweden. SD was founded in 1988 with connections to Swedish nationalist movements; the party has distanced itself from that history.
Finland (April 2023)
The Finns Party (PS), led by Riikka Purra, won 20.1% and 46 seats in Finland’s April 2023 election, entering the governing coalition as the second-largest partner under Prime Minister Petteri Orpo of the National Coalition Party. Finland joined NATO in April 2023; the Finns Party backed membership on national security grounds despite some members’ Eurosceptic positions.
Slovakia (September 2023)
SMER-SSD, led by Robert Fico, won 22.9% in Slovakia’s September 2023 election, enabling Fico to return as Prime Minister for a third time. Fico has opposed continued military aid to Ukraine, describing EU sanctions on Russia as “self-destructive.” Slovakia’s shift toward a pro-Russia posture has created friction with EU partners on Ukraine aid unanimity.
Netherlands (November 2023)
The Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, won 23.6% and 37 seats in November 2023, winning the largest vote share of any party. Dutch media described the result as a “political earthquake.” Wilders had campaigned on an anti-Islam platform for 17 years as a minority-party figure. A coalition government was eventually formed in 2024.
Austria (September 2024)
The Freedom Party (FPÖ), led by Herbert Kickl, won 29.2% in September 2024, the first time in the FPÖ’s history that the party had finished first in a national election. Austria’s president initially declined to give Kickl the mandate to form a government before eventually doing so. The FPÖ-led government was sworn in January 2025. Kickl’s party has historical ties with Russia through a 2016 cooperation agreement with Putin’s United Russia party.
Czech Republic (October 2024)
ANO, led by Andrej Babiš, won 30.5% of the vote in October 2024, becoming the largest party in the Czech Parliament. Babiš is a billionaire businessman who was previously acquitted of EU fraud charges. ANO describes itself as centrist and populist; international analysts classify it as right-wing populist. Coalition formation was ongoing as of late 2024.
Four Far-Right Wins Beyond Europe: Israel, Turkey, Argentina, and the United States
Four of the 12 far-right or right-wing populist wins between 2022 and 2026 occurred outside Europe, with significant electoral shifts in Israel, Turkey, Argentina, and the United States, each reflecting a distinct national context while sharing the anti-establishment and nationalist themes that appear across the full set of 12 results.
Israel (November 2022)
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party formed a coalition government in November 2022 that includes Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) and Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party. US and European officials described the resulting coalition as the most right-wing government in Israeli history. Ben-Gvir was previously convicted of racist incitement against Arab citizens. Smotrich has publicly advocated for full annexation of the West Bank. Both serve as senior ministers in the Netanyahu government.
Turkey (May 2023)
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s AKP, in alliance with the nationalist MHP, won Turkey’s May 2023 presidential runoff with 52.18% against opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (48.82%). Erdoğan has governed Turkey since 2003. Turkey remains a NATO member and has positioned itself as a diplomatic broker between Russia and Ukraine during the ongoing war. The AKP-MHP government describes its approach as nationalist-conservative.
Argentina (November 2023)
Javier Milei of La Libertad Avanza won Argentina’s November 2023 presidential runoff with 55.7% against Peronist Sergio Massa, becoming president on December 10, 2023. Milei describes himself as an anarcho-capitalist and libertarian; his platform included eliminating multiple government ministries, adopting the US dollar as Argentina’s currency, and dismantling what he called the “political caste.” His government devalued the peso on taking office and implemented sweeping austerity measures.
United States (November 2024)
Donald Trump of the Republican Party won the November 2024 US presidential election with 49.8% of the popular vote and 312 Electoral College votes, beginning his second non-consecutive presidential term on January 20, 2025. Republican majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives accompanied Trump’s return to the White House. Political analysts classify the MAGA Republican platform as right-wing populist or national-conservative, in the same academic category used for several other parties in this analysis.
Four Policy Themes That Drove Far-Right Electoral Wins Across All 12 Countries
All 12 far-right electoral wins between 2022 and 2026 were driven by some combination of four recurring policy themes that political scientists identified as consistent across regions, income levels, and institutional contexts.
| Theme | Countries Where It Drove Votes | Core Demand |
| Anti-immigration and border control | Italy, Sweden, Netherlands, Austria, Finland, USA, Hungary | Reduce or stop migration; tighten asylum; increase deportations |
| Euroscepticism and anti-supranational positioning | Hungary, Slovakia, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic | Reassert national authority over EU and international institutions |
| Anti-establishment and anti-elite messaging | Argentina, Netherlands, Czech Republic, USA | Replace political class seen as corrupt or captured by elite consensus |
| National sovereignty over international commitments | USA, Hungary, Slovakia, Turkey | Subordinate inherited multilateral obligations to national decision-making |
- Anti-immigration: The Conversation (March 2026) identified immigration as the single most consistent mobilising issue across European far-right wins. Parties campaigned on reducing or stopping migration, tightening asylum processes, and increasing deportations.
- Euroscepticism: The pattern extends beyond Europe. The US withdrew from the WHO and the Paris Agreement. Argentina departed the WHO pandemic treaty process. The common framing: international institutions impose constraints on national sovereignty without democratic accountability.
- Anti-establishment: Milei ran on an “anti-caste” platform; Wilders spent 17 years as an outsider; Babiš positioned himself as a businessman outside the political class; Trump used “drain the swamp” framing. Each campaign positioned the existing leadership as corrupt or out of touch.
- National sovereignty: The USA exited the WHO and Paris Accords and imposed tariffs on allies; Hungary blocked EU rule-of-law proceedings and Ukraine aid votes; Slovakia ended military aid to Ukraine; Turkey blocked NATO positions on Sweden’s accession before reversing.
What Far-Right Governance Has Changed: Immigration, Ukraine, and EU Decision-Making Since 2022
The 12 far-right wins between 2022 and 2026 have produced documented governance changes in three policy areas where the pattern across multiple governments is consistent enough to identify as structural rather than coincidental.
Immigration enforcement changes:
- Italy reduced Mediterranean sea rescue operations following Meloni’s September 2022 election
- Netherlands began tightening asylum procedures under Wilders’ 2024 coalition
- Austria announced strengthened border controls under FPÖ from January 2025
- United States began mass deportation operations and reduced refugee admissions from January 2025
Ukraine and Russia policy changes:
- Slovakia ended military aid to Ukraine after Fico’s September 2023 return to power
- Hungary blocked EU unanimous votes on Ukraine aid and sanctions on multiple occasions
- Orbán maintained direct dialogue with Putin throughout 2023-2026
- Trump administration shifted from full Ukraine military support to a territorial freeze ceasefire proposal; CIA director Ratcliffe visited Moscow in August 2026
EU decision-making changes:
- Seven EU member states now have far-right parties within government (IBA, 2024)
- Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic (forming a coalition) all favour national sovereignty over EU institutional authority
- EU unanimous-vote requirements on Russia sanctions, Ukraine aid, and enlargement face more structural resistance than at any point since Eastern European enlargement in 2004
For the latest electoral developments, including Hungary’s April 2026 result and the upcoming US midterm elections. The 2026 global elections tracker on Universalnest covers the full electoral calendar.
The 12-Country Pattern: How Far-Right Electoral Wins Between 2022 and 2026 Have Reshaped Democratic Governance
Far-right parties won power in 12 countries between 2022 and 2026 through democratic elections, across nations spanning the United States, Slovakia, Argentina, and Austria. The wins share four consistent campaign themes: immigration, Euroscepticism, anti-establishment positioning, and national sovereignty claims. The governance changes that followed are documented and measurable: tighter immigration enforcement, reduced Ukraine military support in some countries, and sustained resistance to EU unanimous-vote mechanisms. Whether the electoral pattern continues through the US midterms in November 2026 and Brazil’s October election will determine whether this period was a peak or a transition point in the global rightward shift. Universalnest.com tracks this political movement and every major governance development within its Global Politics and Governance coverage across Current Affairs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which 12 countries saw far-right parties win power between 2022 and 2026?
Far-right or right-wing populist parties won governmental power in Hungary (2022), Italy (2022), Sweden (2022), Israel (2022), Finland (2023), Turkey (2023), Slovakia (2023), the Netherlands (2023), Argentina (2023), Austria (2024), the United States (2024), and the Czech Republic (2024) through national democratic elections.
Why are far-right parties winning elections across so many countries?
Political scientists identify four consistent drivers: anti-immigration sentiment, Euroscepticism or opposition to supranational institutions, anti-establishment positioning against the political mainstream, and demands for national sovereignty over international institutional commitments. These four themes appeared across all 12 countries regardless of geographic region or income level.
Is Hungary’s Viktor Orbán the longest-serving far-right leader in Europe?
Yes. Viktor Orbán of Fidesz has governed Hungary continuously since 2010, making him the longest-serving government leader in the European Union. He won his fourth consecutive term in April 2022 with 54.13%, though his parliamentary supermajority was reduced following the April 2026 election, which produced the most credible opposition challenge since 2006.
How did Javier Milei win Argentina’s 2023 presidential election?
Javier Milei of La Libertad Avanza won Argentina’s November 2023 presidential runoff with 55.7% against Peronist Sergio Massa. Running on an anarcho-capitalist platform opposing the “political caste,” Milei promised to eliminate multiple government ministries and dollarise the economy. He became president on December 10, 2023, and implemented sweeping austerity measures.
Is Donald Trump’s Republican Party classified as far-right?
Political scientists and international analysts classify the MAGA Republican platform led by Trump as right-wing populist or national-conservative, placing it in the same academic category as several other parties in this analysis. Trump won the November 2024 election with 49.8% of the popular vote and 312 Electoral College votes, beginning his second term on January 20, 2025.
What policy changes have far-right governments made after winning power?
Documented changes include: tighter immigration enforcement in Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, and the United States; Slovakia ending military aid to Ukraine; Hungary blocking EU unanimous votes on Ukraine; the United States withdrawing from the WHO and the Paris Accords; and mass deportation programmes beginning in the United States from January 2025.
