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After a narrow race in Austria, left-leaning moderate candidate Alexander Van der Bellen barely won the presidential election against right-wing Norbert Hofer on Monday, a slim victory that surprised many.
Hofer stated that although he was sad to lose, his run had been an “investment” in the future of Austria's right-leaning Freedom Party -- an investment which seems to be already earning returns. More conservative parties have gained significant prominence in European countries this past election cycle, and are projected to grow even stronger in the next.
The reasons for the rise of right-leaning parties across Europe are complex and multifaceted, but are primarily tied to the failure of the European Union to supply economic stability for its nations, compounded by aggravation caused by the Syrian Refugee Crisis.
The crisis, in particular, has led to the success of these parties in recent years. Right wing parties have had overwhelming success in countries most affected by the issue. Austria is one example, with the right-wing Freedom Party winning an unexpected 35 percent of the vote.
Similarly, Hungary's two right-wing parties won a majority in 2014.
Trends in Germany, France, Italy, and Poland also show a large increase in right-leaning party victories over the past three years.
If the political climate does not dramatically shift, the upward trend of right-wing political groups is only projected to continue -- which could mean the European immigration crisis is coming to a head, and quickly.
Take Germany, which has a population of about 80.5 million, and is in the negatives for population growth. According to Bavarian government officials, the Muslim population in Germany (most of them recent immigrants) is around 5 million, and is projected to quadruple in size by 2020 to make up almost a quarter of the German population.
However, Alternative for Germany (AFD), the country's popular right-wing party, is taking a strong stance against liberal immigration policy. The spokeswoman for AfG Frauke Petry said in an interview, "We can see that the significant achievements of the Enlightenment are in danger, as long as we continue to pursue this path of unregulated migration connected to promoting the importance of a religious radicalism."
She went on to cite the dangers of the Muslim population’s preference for Sharia law. The party states in its manifesto that, "An orthodox Islam that does not respect our constitution or even contradicts it is incompatible with our legal system and culture."
Hoping to alleviate the obvious tension between the party and Muslim groups, Petry met on Monday with members of Germany’s Central Council of Muslims. The meeting ended unexpectedly early when AFD broke off the discussion, according to the Muslim leaders.
Clearly these two growing powers in Germany and across Europe -- the large Muslim minority and the nationalist right wing groups -- will struggle to coexist. Both the recent Austrian election and the lack of negotiation are indicative of a coming climax to the Syrian refugee crises.
And it’s coming very, very soon.