Republican midterm defeat prompts debate on populist right in Europe
Democrats swept the US midterms on a scale not seen in half a century, according to Al Jazeera. Gulf News reports that Europe is asking whether the populist right's momentum has been reversed.
- Al Jazeera says the Democratic sweep was the largest in half a century
- The election was the most expensive in US history, at nearly $12bn
- Gulf News lists at least eight election setbacks for nationalist parties in about 18 months
- French far-right figures blamed inflation and fuel prices tied to the Iran war
Democrats won a sweep in the US midterm elections on a scale not seen in half a century, according to Al Jazeera. The outlet said President Donald Trump appeared to lose control of the narrative after the vote, and that he and the Republicans were struggling to explain a historic defeat.
Al Jazeera reported that the election was the most expensive in US history, with nearly $12bn spent, mostly on advertising. Most of that money went to Republican candidates.
Gulf News reported that the result has sent shock waves through Europe, where observers are asking whether it will reverse the momentum of the populist right. It said nationalist, anti-immigration leaders or parties have suffered at least eight national election setbacks in roughly 18 months. These include Romania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Hungary, Sweden, Serbia, Brazil and the United States.
Among the cases it listed, Portugal elected Socialist António José Seguro over André Ventura by two to one, and Romania chose Nicușor Dan over George Simion. Hungary ended Viktor Orbán's 16 years in power, and Serbia's Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat last month to a student-led protest movement. Lula da Silva narrowly beat Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil last month. Geert Wilders' party lost 11 seats in the Netherlands, and the Sweden Democrats lost 11 seats as the left-leaning opposition won a narrow majority.
Gulf News also noted that populist candidates have won presidencies in Poland, Chile and Colombia since mid-2025. In France, Marine Le Pen is the front-runner in the presidential election about six months away. France's highest court aims to rule on her appeal against an embezzlement conviction by early April, and she could face voters wearing an electronic tag if the ruling goes against her.
French and German reactions differed. Sébastien Chenu of the National Rally called the US vote a rejection of Donald Trump's policies, blaming inflation and fuel prices tied to the war with Iran. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel also blamed the consequences of the Iran war. National Rally president Jordan Bardella said: "What happens in other countries is none of my business."
Péter Krekó, director of Budapest's Political Capital Institute, said: "When cracks in power become more visible, this can trigger a cascade effect." French center-left presidential candidate Raphaël Glucksmann said: "There is no inevitability in politics."
Background
khabr.pk reported on 4 November that Democrats won control of both houses of Congress, according to the Associated Press tally cited by Al Jazeera. On 5 November, khabr.pk reported that Trump acknowledged the Iran war and the fuel prices it caused affected the Republican defeat.
Why it matters
Results in Washington shape US policy on Iran and the wider region, which directly affects Pakistan's security and diplomacy. Fuel prices tied to the Iran war were cited by European politicians as a factor in the vote. In Pakistan, khabr.pk's figures show petrol at Rs346 per litre and diesel at Rs378 per litre on 7 November.
