Copying the far-right doesn’t help mainstream parties. But it can boost the far-right

Does fighting on the radical right’s turf help to steal its voters? Research suggests it doesn’t

Marine Le Pen is now the most significant electoral force on the right in France. Photo: AP/Francois Mori

Across Europe, radical-right parties remain on the rise. In France, Marine Le Pen is again in the run-off for the French presidency against Emmanuel Macron. This time, polls suggest a much closer race than in the 2017 election. 

Just over a week ago, Viktor Orbán’s populist-nationalist Fidesz party won a landslide in Hungary’s parliamentary elections.