French President Suffers Setback In Elections; Far Right Wins

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

PARIS (Worthy News) – French President Emmanuel Macron’s allies suffered a major setback Sunday as Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) party won the first round of France’s parliamentary election on Sunday, exit polls showed.

The RN was seen winning around 34 percent of the vote, exit polls from Ipsos, Ifop, OpinionWay and Elabe revealed

That was ahead of leftist and centrist rivals, including President Macron’s Together alliance, whose bloc was seen winning 20.5-23 percent.

The exit polls showed that the New Popular Front (NFP), a hastily assembled left-wing coalition, was projected to win around 29 percent.

Now, all eyes are on July 7 for the second and final round. The RN will try to win an absolute majority to run the National Assembly without needing coalition partners.

To avoid this, Macron has called for a “broad” democratic alliance against the far right.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, who leads the NFP, said he would withdraw candidates who have placed third in the first round of the parliamentary election.

“GATES OF POWER”

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said the lesson learned this evening is that the far right is at “the gates of power,” adding that “no vote should go to the National Rally.”

France will likely have its first “cohabitation” in 22 years, meaning a president and a prime minister from two rival parties or alliances.

Macron decided to organize early elections after his party suffered losses in the European elections.

He could stay president until his term expires in 2027 and has said he will not resign.

Analysts warned he wouldn’t be able to do much to prevent the adoption of what critics say fear “nationalist laws.”

The popularity of Le Pen has been linked to concerns about an influx of migrants fleeing war, persecution, and poverty.

Many are from Islamic nations, which have added to tensions in the country, Le Pen’s party successfully argued.

HIGH VOTER TURNOUT

The turnout of more than 69 percent was the highest in almost 40 years in an increasingly polarised country, where Macron had said that a win by either the far right or hard left could lead to “civil war” in France.

For decades, the Front National party co-founded by Le Pen’s father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, was by critics as a danger to democracy that promoted racist, antisemitic, and anti-Muslim views.

Centrist and leftwing politicians attempted to remind voters of the history of the 52-year-old party at its start, including in its ranks former members of a Waffen-SS military unit under Nazi command during the second world war.

But the renamed party surged after Marine Le Pen’s years-long public relations drive to normalize its policies and detoxify its image.

Her RN party is now the biggest delegation in the European Parliament after clinching 30 seats in last week’s ballot.

She has close ties with anti-Islam leaders such as Dutchman Geert Wilders, whose PVV party recently struck a coalition deal to lead the next government in the Netherlands.

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