France’s political parties moved swiftly to form a united front aimed at preventing Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) from gaining power after the party made historic gains in the first round of parliamentary elections.
The RN and its allies secured 33% of the vote, surpassing a left-wing bloc with 28%, while President Emmanuel Macron’s centrists trailed with only 20%, according to official results from the interior ministry.
Financial markets rallied in relief that the RN’s tally was not greater, yet it marked a significant setback for Macron. He had called for the snap election after his party suffered a defeat by the RN in the European Parliament election the previous month. Whether the anti-immigrant, eurosceptic RN can form a government now hinges on how effectively other parties can unite to support the most viable rival candidates across hundreds of constituencies in France.
Leaders of the left-wing New Popular Front and Macron’s centrist alliance indicated on Sunday night that they would withdraw their candidates in districts where another candidate had a better chance of defeating the RN in the upcoming run-off on Sunday.
However, it remains unclear if this agreement will always hold if the left-wing candidate is from Jean-Luc Melenchon’s far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, a significant member of the New Popular Front.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, known for his impassioned speeches, stands as one of the most polarizing figures in French politics, inspiring some while alarming others with his bold tax-and-spend proposals and rhetoric centered on class warfare.
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, an ally of Macron’s party, categorically dismissed the idea of endorsing an LFI candidate. “LFI poses a threat to the nation,” he asserted on France Inter radio.
