Far Right Eyes Historic as France Votes in Crucial Election

Photo : AP

France is voting in a parliamentary election that could make history, with the far right closer to power than it has ever been in modern times. The National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella is well ahead in the polls, just three weeks after they won the European elections. In response, President Emmanuel Macron called a national vote, surprising the country.

A high turnout is expected among the 49 million voters for this crucial election. Polls close in the big cities at 20:00 (18:00 GMT), with the first exit polls to be released then. This is a two-round election, and most of the National Assembly’s 577 seats will not be decided until the second-round run-off vote next Sunday.

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The campaign, lasting only 20 days, has benefited RN, which quickly refined its existing promises on immigration, crime, and insecurity, as well as tax cuts to address the cost-of-living crisis. Jordan Bardella aims to be RN’s first prime minister and is confident his party will win dozens of constituencies outright in the first round. However, he stated he would only accept the role if the party secures an absolute parliamentary majority of 289 seats. Otherwise, a hung parliament and political stalemate are likely.

As results begin to come in on Sunday evening, National Rally’s opponents must decide who to back in the run-off battles across France to prevent an absolute majority for RN. If the polls are accurate, many of the run-offs will pit the National Rally against the hastily formed left-wing alliance, the New Popular Front, which believes it could win the election. High turnout could mean that three parties qualify for the second-round battles in up to 250 constituencies, according to Brice Teinturier of Ipsos polling institute. Historically, parties across the spectrum have united to keep the far right out, raising the possibility of candidate withdrawals to unify the anti-RN vote.

RN’s leaders have worked hard to shed their extremist image. Alongside policies favoring “national preference” for jobs and housing, they propose cutting VAT on energy and exempting under-30s from income tax. In Franconville, north of Paris, a teacher named Agnès supports Bardella’s plans for significant changes in education and discipline. She has no problem with RN’s intention to abolish the right to automatic French citizenship for children of foreign parents who have lived in France for five years between the ages of 11 and 18.

President Macron’s Ensemble alliance is expected to lose many seats, and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s position appears precarious despite his popularity. Former President François Hollande, once Macron’s mentor, is now running for parliament as a New Popular Front candidate. Macron’s snap election gamble has angered some allies and disrupted preparations for the Paris Olympics starting on July 26. The police and military are already stretched thin, and the interior minister has warned of potential violence after the second round.

Macron plans to meet with his prime minister and other government members on Monday to decide their next move. Until now, their stance has been “ni-ni” – neither backing RN nor the New Popular Front due to the involvement of the far-left France Unbowed (LFI), which some accuse of antisemitism. Macron claims only his Ensemble alliance can block both the extreme right and left, arguing that the far right categorizes people by religion or origin, while the left judges them by community.

Last week, in Meaux, east of Paris, LFI’s Mathilde Panot told supporters they were the last line of resistance against the far right, criticizing Macron’s policies for enabling RN’s rise. The New Popular Front includes moderate parties like the Socialists and Greens, whose leader Marine Tondelier calls for unity to prevent Bardella from becoming prime minister.

France’s best-known young stars, including NBA player Victor Wembanyama, football captain Kylian Mbappé, and YouTube influencer Squeezie, have urged voters to avoid extremes. However, deep divisions between parties and the short time frame make it challenging to form a concerted action to keep RN at bay. Outside a market in Le Plessis Bouchard, north of Paris, a woman named Aurélie expressed concern for the country, distinguishing between patriotism and nationalism, and criticizing RN’s policies.

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