01Europe · Politics, energy and public order
Europe’s energy shock is becoming an electoral realignment.
Facts
Fuel-price and cost-of-living protests have spread across France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Belgium and Albania; the European Commission estimates the Iran conflict has cost Europe about €100 billion ($112 billion), with gas up roughly 140% and diesel doubled.
InterpretationMarine Le Pen, the AfD and other nationalist parties can turn visible household losses into votes; incumbent governments control tax relief and policing but face budget and credibility limits. The right’s strongest argument is affordability, while promises to restore Russian energy ties understate the security leverage that dependency would recreate.