Rise of the European Populist Alliance

Austria's far-right Freedom Party, Hungary's Fidesz, and the Czech ANO party are forming a new political alliance, inviting other parties to join. This coalition requires participation from parties in a quarter of the 27 EU member states to form a new group in the European Parliament.

Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPO), Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz and the populist Czech ANO party led by Andrej Babis are forming a new political alliance and inviting others to join, FPO chief Herbert Kickl said on Sunday.

In a statement to the media attended by the three leaders, Kickl said he believed many other European parties would join in the coming days. To form a new political group in the European Parliament, however, parties from a quarter of the 27 member states are needed, according to the parliament's website.