COPY LINK

ELECTIONS

French far-right win in first round of pivotal French elections

The final results of the first round of France's crucial snap elections showed Marine Le Pen's far-right party ahead with a strong lead, followed by the leftist alliance and President Emmanuel Macron's centrist group in third place.

Published: 30 June 2024 19:03 CEST
Updated: 1 July 2024 07:02 CEST

French far-right win in first round of pivotal French elections

President of the French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) group at the National Assembly Marine Le Pen (L) and RN President Jordan Bardella sing the national anthem in Marseille on March 3, 2024, prior to the European elections. (Photo by CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP)

The final results, released early on Monday morning, showed the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party well in the lead with 33.4 percent of the votes.

They were followed by the alliance of leftist parties, called the Nouveau Front Populaire on 28 percent, Macron’s centrist group Ensemble on 20.8 percent, and the right-wing Les Republicains party on 10.2 percent.

Turnout was 66.7 percent, the highest for the first round of a legislative election since 1997.

After the results were released, Macron called for a “broad democratic alliance” against the far-right.

“Faced with the Rassemblement National, the time has come for a broad, clearly democratic and republican alliance for the second round,” he said in a statement.

He also said that the high turnout in the first round spoke of “the importance of this vote for all our compatriots and the desire to clarify the political situation.”

What next after the first round of voting?

France’s longtime far-right leader Marine Le Pen said on Sunday voters needed to give her party an absolute majority in the second round of parliamentary elections so party chief Jordan Bardella can become premier.

“We need an absolute majority for Jordan Bardella to be appointed Prime Minister by Emmanuel Macron in eight days’ time.

Explained: Who are all the parties and alliances in France’s snap election?

“The French have unequivocally shown their desire to turn the page on seven years of contemptuous, corrosive power. However, nothing is certain and the second round will be decisive,” she said.

The far-right’s Jordan Bardella said: “The French people have handed down a clear verdict.”

Bardella said he wanted to be the prime minister “of all French” who is respectful of the constitution in a “cohabitation” with President Emmanuel Macron, but “uncompromising”.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the Nouveau Front Populaire leftist alliance said on Sunday that President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance had suffered a “heavy and indisputable” defeat in snap polls and urged French people to vote against the far-right.

Crucial second round of voting lies ahead.

The second round of voting takes place next Sunday – July 7th.

The two highest scorers from round one go through, plus anyone else who got more than 12.5 percent of the total votes cast.

The high turnout has resulted in an unusually high number of three-way contests in the second round – in total there are 190 two-person second rounds, 306 three-person contests and five four-way splits.

A handful of candidates also won outright in the first round including Marine Le Pen and Parti Socialiste leader Olivier Faure. In Paris deputy mayor Emmanuel Gregoire won in the first round, knocking out former Macron minister Clément Beaune.

In a bid to keep out the far right Mélénchon’s leftist alliance said it would withdraw candidates who finished third in the first round.

“Our instructions are clear: not one more vote, not one more seat for the RN”, said Mélenchon.

Member comments

Become a Member to leave a comment.

The French town showcasing far right's 'respectability strategy'

A small town in the north of the country already knows.

Henin-Beaumont, population 26,000, has been run by the Rassemblement National (RN) since the former mining town voted in the far-right party in local elections in 2014, and then again in 2020.

It is often described as “the fiefdom” of RN heavyweight Marine Le Pen, an unassailable fortress of support, and a bridgehead for her national campaigns.

Le Pen, who was a local councillor in Henin-Beaumont between 2008 and 2011, last Sunday also won re-election as a National Assembly deputy, scoring a commanding 64.6 percent of Henin-Beaumont’s vote.

Steeve Briois, Henin-Beaumont’s mayor for the last decade, took over from a leftist administration tainted by corruption, and won re-election with a comfortable absolute majority.

“Mr Briois is sociable, loved and friendly,” said party activist Charlotte Chabierski. “When there’s a local festivity, he’ll get up on stage and sing.”

Local people, she said, were delighted with his record that included lower local taxes, less crime and a cleaner town.

“The quality of life is really good,” said Valentin, a 30-year-old shop assistant who declined to give his last name. “We have a mayor who looks after his town and his co-citizens.”

The local success story of Henin-Beaumont is a great help to Le Pen’s “strategy of respectability”, said Pierre Mathiot, a political scientist at the Sciences Po Lille university.

Briois had been “very quick to hide the more questionable aspects of the RN’s behaviour”, presenting himself as “a decent chap, everybody’s idea of an ideal son-in-law”.

‘Save a region that is suffering’

The Henin-Beaumont experience, meanwhile, had allowed Marine Le Pen to present herself “as a grassroots politician and not a Parisian”, he said. “As somebody who will save a region that is suffering and by extension, save France.”

In the aftermath of last Sunday’s first round of National Assembly elections, Henin-Beaumont residents went about their daily business quietly. There was no noticeable festive mood after the voting triumph, and few people were willing to talk, a sign of widespread suspicion of visiting journalists.

“The vote is over, I don’t have anything to say,” said a pensioner waiting at a bus stop with her shopping.

“This is part of the RN’s strength,” said Ines Taourit, a councillor for the opposition Socialists. “They have managed to build a wall of silence in this town, an omerta.”

This makes it harder to gauge the depth of what Le Pen’s opponents say is widespread anti-immigration sentiment and racism in the party.

Except perhaps during this week’s Euro 2024 match between France and Belgium, when a regular customer in a bar showing the game shouted “Too many immigrants!” when a shot by French-Cameroon player Aurelien Tchouameni missed the goal.

But the bar erupted in joy after Randal Kolo Muani, a French-Congolese striker, scored, securing France’s spot in the quarter finals.

On fundamental issues such as the economy — crucial in an area that is part of France’s impoverished rust belt — and local services, the RN would like their policies not to attract too much scrutiny, Taourit said.

The party’s management had involved “the privatisation of almost all public services” such as nursery schools and swimming pools, leading to “a steep cut in purchasing power”, she said.

“The voting booth is no test lab,” she said. “We shouldn’t walk into this trap, because in the end they will implement an ultra-liberal policy everywhere, just as they’re doing in Henin-Beaumont,” she said.

Some of the town’s residents, meanwhile, profess deep scepticism towards politicians from all sides.

“They’re all scumbags,” said a man drinking in a bar in the town centre. “That’s why I don’t vote.”

SHOW COMMENTS

Url copied to clipboard!