Support rises for Hungary’s far-right political party, Jobbik

WATCH ABOVE: 16X9: RIGHT-WING RESURGENCE

Despite four years of negative press due to its extreme positions, Hungary’s far-right political party, Jobbik, saw its popular support rise once Sunday’s national election results were tallied.

While the election returned Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party to power for another four-year-term with a strong majority, Jobbik fared well at the polls too, with one in every five voters backing the party that’s been accused of anti-Semitism and racism.

READ MORE: 16×9: Csanad Szegedi and the rise of Europe’s far right

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Jobbik picked up 21% of the vote, up from the 17% it won in 2010, making it the third-largest party in the Hungarian parliament.

However, this translates into just 23 seats, down from the 47 it won four years ago – a result of changes in the electoral laws implemented by the Orban government.

Still, Jobbik’s performance shows that the far-right’s fortunes continue to rise, making it one of the most well-established extremist parties in Europe. Cas Mudde, Assistant Professor at the School for Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia, has noted that the previous strongest result for a far-right group was the 20.5 percent won by Austria’s Freedom Party last year.

READ MORE: Blind eye turned to influence of far-right in Ukrainian crisis: critics

“There is no doubt that Jobbik will be among the strongest far-right parties in Europe, which is particularly striking because it is also one of the most extreme of Europe’s far-right parties,” Mudde told Reuters.

Jobbik has attracted attention for blaming many of Hungary’s problems on the country’s impoverished Roma population, which makes up 10% of the country’s population. The party has attracted international attention for their criticisms of Israel, their creation of fascist-like paramilitary organizations, strong ultra-nationalism and criticisms of the Jewish community.