Far right: the usefulness of the sanitary cordon

Do not look for the word "extreme right" when opening the Italian press. There, the alliance that brings together the Berlusconian right (Forza Italia), Matteo Salvini's League and Giorgia Meloni's Fratelli d'Italia for the September 25 elections is commonly described as... "the center-right coalition" , despite the radicalism of the last two. If the two nationalist formations are not banished from public life, contrary to what is happening in France or Germany, it is because they are essential to the formation of governments.

In Italy, the proportional system encourages the formation of large coalitions; Silvio Berlusconi paved the way in the 1990s by joining forces with the extreme right. At the time, the controversy was great. It is non-existent today.

In Sweden, the far right emerged victorious from the election in mid-September, establishing itself as the leading force on the right. Although MPs from the Swedish Democrats (SD) are not expected to enter government, they will weigh the executive line through a coalition deal. A first.

In France, at the National Assembly, the 89 deputies of the National Rally are trying to impose themselves as "normal" interlocutors of other political parties, in an assumed strategy called the tie. The macronists, by letting them access positions of responsibility, hope better to stifle them. A risky strategy: the supporters of national preference will do everything to take advantage of this open door to settle permanently in the heart of power. With a real political danger of no longer being able to dislodge them.