President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva voiced concern on Thursday about the threat to democracy, citing the recent wins of far-right parties in the European Parliament after last weekend’s elections.
“The President told journalists in Geneva, Switzerland, ahead of an International Labor Organization event, ‘We are facing a challenge where democracy as we understand it is under threat,'” remarked the leftist leader.
He continued, “The denialist rejects institutions, denies the role of Parliament, the Supreme Court, the Judiciary, and even Congress itself.”
At the G7 summit in Italy, where he was invited by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, he emphasized the necessity for advocates of democracy to actively defend it worldwide.
Meanwhile, in France, Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally secured over 31% of the vote, overshadowing President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party, which garnered just 14.6%. This outcome led to Macron’s unexpected decision to call for a national parliamentary election.
In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany achieved second place with 15.9% of the vote, surpassing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats, who received 13.9%—their worst-ever result.
Despite the far-right’s gains in the European Parliament elections, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s centrist group secured a majority of seats and began the process of coalition formation on Monday.