The projections that show an advance on the right in the European Parliament elections, last Sunday (9), encouraged the Brazilian opposition on social media regarding a possible international repercussion on the 2026 electoral scenario in Brazil. However, analysts interviewed by People’s Gazette point out that the right-wing elected to the European body has major differences in relation to the opposition in Brazil on issues of customs and protectionism.
In a post on social media, former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) celebrated the result and said that the USA and Brazil will be the next to join the right-wing “current of good”.
“Europe is tired of the left, of countries without borders, of the 2030 agenda, ESG, decarbonization, gender ideology, debauchery,” said Bolsonaro on his profile on X (formerly Twitter). According to him, “family values”, respect for private property, legitimate right to defense and freedom of expression “spoke louder at the right time”. The term ESG, in English, used by him refers to environmental, social and governance – a trend classified as progressive that has become fashionable in the corporate world.
The former president’s perception of the European right, however, seems to be confused with the perception of other right-wing groups in the world, such as the American one. In many European countries, issues of customs – such as abortion, LGBT issues and quota policy – are subjects that are already considered pacified and are unlikely to enter the debate agenda. The predominant political inclination in Europe is liberalism, which, in terms of customs, understands that the State should not interfere or influence decisions in people’s private lives.
In April this year, the body approved a resolution to include abortion as a right in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Of the 336 votes in favor, the center-right European People’s Party of European Commission President Ursula Van der Leyen contributed 43 votes. Renew Europe, which includes French President Emmanuel Macron, a party considered liberal, gave 81 votes.
Projections regarding the election show that the current coalition involving center-right and center-left parties is expected to remain in power. But parties more to the right, such as the ECR (Conservatives and Reformists) and the ID (Identity and Democracy), gained more space to the detriment of the Green Party and the Left.
For political scientist Elton Gomes, professor at the Federal University of Piauí (UFPI), the MEPs’ agenda is more focused on economic and foreign relations issues, such as immigration.
“The European right is not exactly religious, it does not have a Catholic or Protestant discourse on restoring values defended by faith. In this context, victory in the European Parliament does not mean that the debate held there will ‘cross the ocean’ and affect the right here. On the other hand, this victory can be used in a discourse of parallelism about the political trend of the moment”, said Gomes.
On the other hand, federal deputy Bia Kicis (PL-DF) states that there are common agendas between the European and Brazilian right, despite the Brazilian being more conservative.
“Europe is being destroyed by this uncontrolled immigration, by the destruction of family values, and I think young people have finally begun to understand that this is not the Europe they want. There is, of course, a difference between the Brazilian right and America Latin and the European right, mainly because we are more conservative, they are more liberal, but it is right. So, we have many issues in common and we will work to remain united.”
According to the parliamentarian, the European right also fights against gender ideology and indoctrination in schools. She also recalled that the Brazilian right went to Europe to denounce political persecution and the actions of the Federal Supreme Court (STF). “We have many problems that are common and that is what we will work on to overcome”, said the deputy.
Commenting on the situation, political scientist Marcelo Suano, professor at Ibmec São Paulo, states that the movement to the right of the European bloc is the result of “the failure of government policies and programs that were adopted by the left around the world”. Regarding the divergence in customs between the right, he explained that European thought is focused on more concrete problems than philosophical ones.
“There are more concrete elements than the customs agenda, guidelines that end up generating philosophical reflections from different views. For example, migration. Migration is a concrete issue. Europe suffers from this problem, because employment for nationals is more undermined”, said Suano.
Growth of the European right has a symbolic character for the Brazilian right
Despite presenting possible economic disadvantages, analysts interviewed by the report state that the growth of the right in the European Parliament has a symbolic character for the Brazilian right. For political scientist Adriano Cerqueira, a professor at Ibmec in Belo Horizonte, the result normalizes the existence of organized groups and right-wing parties.
“This alignment is important. The idea is that right-wing governments, here in Brazil, stop being seen as an anomaly, something strange, out of time, and start being seen as something normal, something typical of democracy”, said Cerqueira.
In the opinion of political scientist Thales Castro, professor at the Catholic University of Pernambuco (Unicap), the impact of this legislative change in the European bloc signals a tiredness in countries towards the left.
“The impact of this election in Brazil is to realize that there is a certain fatigue among progressive currents, as occurred with the election of Javier Milei in Argentina. President Emmanuel Macron, for example, will go through delicate moments at the end of his term, especially after dissolving parliament. This complicates Lula’s agenda. It’s a new dynamic that’s emerging, a new world that’s unfolding,” said Castro.
Advances in Europe could hinder trade and help isolate Lula
In the economic area, the assessment is that the European bloc’s protectionism should increase with the advance of the right, which could hamper international trade and a possible agreement to reduce customs barriers between the European Union and Mercosur.
Asked about the election, federal deputy Ricardo Salles (PL-SP), member of the Chamber’s Committee on Foreign Relations and National Defense (CREDN), stated that the Brazilian opposition seeks to articulate with MEPs, but the trade issue is still an issue. barrier. “We have serious differences on the commercial side. They are protectionists and that is bad for us”, said Salles.
For Salles, in addition to protectionism, the result of the election in the European Parliament could contribute to Brazil’s isolation in the field of foreign relations.
“Brazil will be isolated. Milei in Argentina. Right advancing in Europe. Trump will be elected in the USA. All of this will further expose this government’s poor alignment, opening up more flanks for criticism. The agenda will be conservative in customs, liberal in economics and right-wing in politics, thus understood as anti-PT”, said the parliamentarian.
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