With all the elections going on this year in Europe, it has been hard to ignore the fact that many countries are starting to take a more right-leaning, nationalistic approach when it comes to their governments. After the United States elected Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, it seems that many European countries have followed in the same steps. However, there are some nations that are either sticking to their leftist approach, or choosing that as a new path.
The most recent country to choose nationalism was Italy. After the referendum two weeks ago where citizens voted against the addition of reforms to the constitution, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was forced to resign, as a vote against the reformation was a vote against him. Renzi made the right move giving up his position because the country was clearly not happy with his government. Now, new Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni has taken the position. Interestingly enough, Gentiloni belongs to the same center-left party as Renzi. It makes one wonder if Gentiloni will indeed bring the more nationalistic approach that the citizens of Italy seem to be looking for.
Another nation going towards the right is France. This is very understandable, as surely people must feel that current President Francois Hollande is not doing enough, what with all the terror attacks they have been plagued with in the last few years. Hollande, who belongs to the socialist party of France, has also chosen not to run for re-election, which similar to Renzi, is a smart move on his part. The two current presidential nominees, Francois Fillon and Marine Le Pen, both belong to right-wing parties, which clearly shows the direction the citizens of France want their country to go.
While many large countries are starting to go to the right, there are some staying left. Nations such as Romania, and Austria, among others, are going against the grain. With many elections still yet to occur, it will be interesting to see what direction many nations will take.