The rise of far right in Europe: The case of Greece Spain and Portugal

The rise of far right-wing parties has emerged mainly after the 1980s. Remarkably few Western European countries remained immune to this rise. The best examples of the countries which are exempt are Spain, Portugal, and Greece, which are located geographically in the same region in the Mediterranean. When Spain and Portugal are analyzed, it can be stated that both countries have been ineffective against right populism despite the unemployment, poverty rate, and migration, which resulted in the emergence of right populism. This study aims to answer why far right-wing has risen in Greece whereas it has remained marginal in Spain and Portugal. Greece in which far right-wing has risen will be compared with Spain and Portugal. There are some common factors in the comparison of the three countries. Greece is the most similar country to Spain and Portugal in terms of politics, economy, history, and culture. Their similarities allow for a meaningful comparison among the three countries (Hartlapp & Leiber, 2010). Also, along with these similarities, the function of far-right parties have high voting potential rather than Spain and Portugal. Although these three Mediterranean countries have the same geographic, political and historical background, as well as the experience of current issues such as immigration and economic hardships resulting from globalization, Greece has a different and positive approach to far-right parties. In this study, the reasons for this difference in Greece will be compared with Spain and Portugal. Key Words: Far-right parties, Mediterranean countries, Europe, electoral system, nationalism