The Center-Right Resurgence Around the World

Conservatives, who are on the center-right part of the political spectrum, lead many governments around the world, as usual, especially in Europe, including the European Union, and in Latin America, as well as other States around the world. But even with a surge of support for the authoritarian far right and a trend toward populists and authoritarians around the globe, and a few conservative parties have included the far right in their governing coalitions, the center right has been resurgent lately against both extremes. A center-right party defeated the authoritarian far-right in Poland earlier this year. The center right leads governments in Austria and France that kept both the anti-migrant far right and the left from power, despite electoral gains by both extremes in parliamentary elections. In other States, center-right parties are at least part of a governing coalition, usually as the main junior partner. The leading center-right party and other allied conservatives joined a governing coalition with the ruling leftists for the first time since the mid-1990s in South Africa, which kept Marxists out of power. In Italy, the center-right party keeps the governing right-wing coalition anchored to its pro-European, pro-American roots versus anti-migrant nationalism and appeasement of Russian imperialism. Even where conservatives have been unsuccessful in elections because of fraud by authoritarian regimes, their center-right parties appeal most to voters. The opposition coalition in Venezuela that won the presidential elections for which the ruling Socialist dictatorship refuses to accept the results, is led by the center right and a center-right party has emerged as the leading opposition party against the unpopular autocratic anti-migrant party in Hungary. Just as conservatism is appealing to voters and capable of governing abroad, the center right can be resurgent in America again versus both the Trumpist (populist and xenophobic protectionism, nativism and isolationism, with authoritarianism) far right and the left. Voters around the world prefer conservatism versus these radical poles, based on equality, liberty and representative government, especially when it delivers honest government that is fiscally responsible and is dynamic enough to offer reforms for current problems. The center-right resurgence around the globe suggests that similar American conservative parties and candidates who expressly reject far-right Trumpism should also be appealing to American voters. Candidates, whether from major or minor political parties of independent, who are from the center right can appeal more broadly to the electorate than those from the radical poles. Electoral coalitions based on a shared platform of common principles or even parliamentary-style power-sharing agreements might also be favored by voters opposed to both the far left and far right and who prefer a clear and safer choice.