In Europe at least
I am very, very relieved: LePen did better than she did the last time so half the media is spinning this as a win for her. But don’t be fooled. This is a big victory. We could only dream of such a huge margin in this country and our right wing is just as nuts as LePen these days.
This is a good result and it’s not the only one:
The Freedom Movement, a political newcomer, stands likely to form the next government in a coalition with smaller centre-left groups. The party leader addressed supporters via video message from his home because he has Covid-19.
“Tonight people dance,” Robert Golob told the cheering crowd at the party headquarters. “Tomorrow is a new day and serious work lies ahead.”
Janša posted a message to supporters on Twitter, saying only: “thank you for your vote.”
The veteran politician became prime minister a little over two years ago after the previous liberal premier resigned. An admirer of Donald Trump, Janša had pushed the country toward right-wing populism since taking over at the start of the pandemic.
Reflecting strong interest in Sunday’s election, turnout was higher than usual: nearly 50% of Slovenia’s 1.7 million voters had cast ballots by mid-afternoon, up about 15% from the previous election in 2018.
I suspect that Putin’s horror may have had a sobering effect on some European voters. Shit’s gotten real.