The far right won the first round of the France’s election
Why the National Rally is handing the country over to the far right? France’s Unbowed Prime Minister’s First-Round Result
It isn’t just the National Rally that beat Macron. Some voters are worried about the New Popular Front. It includes the France Unbowed party led by firebrand former journalist Jean-Luc Mélenchon, whose recent criticism of Israel over the war in Gaza has caused some Jewish and other voters to switch their votes to the Le Pen’s party.
Speaking to cameras after first-round results came in Sunday evening, Bardella pledged to be “the prime minister for all the people of France … respectful of opposition, open to dialogue and concerned at all times with the unity of the people.”
No party can win a majority in the National Assembly, which is also known as a hung parliament. And Macron could then call for another election next year.
Things aren’t going according to plan. The president in France called a snap vote three weeks ago in order to regain political control after the European election. On Sunday, in the first round of voting, the far-right National Rally topped the poll and the left-wing New Popular Front coalition finished second. The Renaissance party came in a distant third.
The complicated nature of this particular two-round election comes from the high turnout. Because of the rules deciding how candidates qualify for the second round, there is a significant number of races this election involving three, even four candidates: more than 300, in fact.
It is possible for parties to strike deals with each other after placing second and third in round one so that they can call on their voters to vote for the other party.
Gabriel Attal, the French Prime Minister, said that their goal was to stop the National Rally from dominating the National Assembly and from governing the country with a disastrous project.
Many countries watching events in France with alarm, while some who support nationalist populists are encouraged by the result.
The Belgian Le Soir newspaper found that the president abandoned the ballot box to legitimize himself, far from protecting his country against the far right. German newsmagazine Der Spiegel asks: “Why is Emmanuel Macron handing the country over to the far right?”
The news item on the election was most read in Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper, but the National Rally is not clear on the war with Russia. While the party currently claims it will assist Ukraine in defending itself against Russian forces, it has also established red lines, such as not giving Ukraine long-range weaponry.”
