6. POPULISM HITS POLITICAL LANDSCAPE OF EUROPE

The conservative union led by German sitting Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sept. 24 defended its commanding role in the Bundestag (German parliament), yet with a plummeting vote compared with the election four years ago.

Meanwhile, the far-right party Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD) unexpectedly emerged as the third strongest party in parliament, becoming the first rightwing populist party to enter the Bundestag after World War II.

In the context of the refugee crisis and economic weakness, intensified social division and political polarization are becoming more and more obvious. People have been losing faith in the main traditional party.

The Netherlands, France, Austria and other major countries have chosen to call on the "anti-EU, anti-migrant" populist parties to make a breakthrough during their 2017 general election, which severely impacted the traditional political landscape in Europe.