There is panic in both the left and the party of French President Emmanuel Macron after Marine Le Pen’s right-wing Rassemblement National (RN) emerged as the strongest force in the first round of snap parliamentary elections. As reported, Macron’s centrist ruling camp came a distant third with 20 percent. Now they want to use any means possible to prevent the RN from gaining an outright majority – even if that means withdrawing their own, less promising candidates from their constituencies.
Given the election victory of the right-wing populists, Macron immediately called for a “broad, democratic and republican alliance.” Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, a friend of Macron’s party, has already announced the withdrawal of about sixty candidates. The motto now is: “No vote can go to the Rassemblement National.” Because: “The far right is on the threshold of power.”
“Serious and undeniable defeat” for Macron
Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s left-wing populist party La France Insoumise (LFI) is also prepared to take such a measure. In constituencies where the RN came first and the LFI third, they will no longer participate in the second round of elections next Sunday. “We will not let the RN win anywhere,” party leader Mélenchon stressed on Sunday evening. At the same time, the 72-year-old described the outcome of the first round as a “serious and undeniable defeat” for Macron.
It remains to be seen whether a stronghold can still be built against Le Pen’s party and its allies. During the election campaign, Macron warned against both the far right and the far left – including Mélenchon’s party. Now he is dependent on the Socialists’ help so that his liberal party can maintain a governing majority.
RN boss already sees himself as the new prime minister
RN party leader Jordan Bardella already sees himself as the future ‘Prime Minister of all French people’ if his party wins an absolute majority. He announced that he would be “loyal to the constitution, but unyielding.” The second round will be “one of the most important election rounds in the history” of the Fifth Republic, which was founded in 1958, the 28-year-old said.
Source: Krone
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