If Europe’s impressive near-unanimity in support of Ukraine has given you a sense of political stability in the continent, think again. Recent events in France and the Netherlands show that the reality is very different.
Both countries have been rocked by populist protests in recent months. France’s have at times become violent, with union demonstrators and others furious at French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms clashing with police. In the Netherlands, farmers have been protesting the government’s new climate laws, which would dramatically reduce cattle farming and force many of them out of business. Neither set of political opponents is likely to go away any time soon.
These movements have rocked both governments. The Dutch farmers have flocked to a new political party, the Farmer Citizen Movement (known as BBB, after its Dutch initials). BBB shocked analysts by finishing first in the recent provincial elections, winning nearly 20 percent of the vote and more than 30 percent in rural provinces such as Drenthe and Overijssel. This will complicate Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s four-party government, as it now will need to obtain support from either BBB or two other parties to pass legislation through the Senate.