Mamdani and the rise of the populist left

The factors that propelled the young politician to victory as New York City mayor are also resonant in Europe amid a squeezing of the centre by those on the extreme ends of the political spectrum.

- Jonathan Eyal Global Affairs Correspondent

Mr Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the radical-left La France Insoumise ("France Unbowed"), is against global unrestricted trade and dismisses the European Union as a capitalist conspiracy. He also wants any wealthy person living in France to pay a 2 per cent tax on their entire personal wealth each year, on top of paying regular income tax.

(PHOTOS: AFP)

“I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity.” That was how Mr Zohran Mamdani hailed his election as mayor of New York City. Clearly, the sort of exaggeration any young successful politician is apt to make.

Yet in some respects, Mr Mamdani is right. The journey of the 34-year-old with no serious administrative experience to the leadership of the US' most populous city is revolutionary.

And perhaps more significantly, it is also emblematic of a broader political development: the rise of the far-left politics, of a new generation of charismatic leaders able to espouse policies much further to the left of traditional socialist movements. That may not spell a historic dawn. But it may herald the sunset of old politics in the Western world.

THE FAR LEFT

The rise of the populist far right, of political movements opposed to mass migration, multicultural nations and a variety of social inclusion policies, is by now well documented. In most European countries, such far-right formations are by now the only alternatives to existing governments, poised to seize power in the near future. And, of course, one could cite US President Donald Trump as an example of a far-right politician who has already made it to the top by engineering a hostile takeover of the Republican Party.

Less noticed, however, has been the steady rise of a corresponding far-left political trend in most Western countries. Why has the media largely ignored this development?