Last hours for nominations in France for the legislative elections which will open on Sunday 30 June. According to the presidential decree issued by Emanuel Macron immediately after the announcement of the dissolution of the National Assembly, the parties have until 6pm today to register their names, after which the electoral campaign will officially start tomorrow. In total, there are 577 constituencies involved in which the photo finish will start this evening. Extremely tight deadlines, crowded hour after hour with news: the latest yesterday with the entry into the field of former president Francois Hollande who will appear in Correze for the New Popular Front, the left-wing alliance that brings together the ‘rebels’ of Insoumise with the Gluckmann’s socialists.
On the left, the offer is already known with the formation of the new varied alliance which managed to agree on the program and candidates in a few days. But, in the aftermath of the demonstrations against the far right which brought together, according to the authorities, 250,000 people across France, including 75,000 in Paris, the union, which brings together the former anti-capitalist president Philippe Poutou and Hollande, it still has to convince itself that it is capable of resisting the heterogeneity of its components. In the first crisis experienced by the new alliance, Les Insoumis of Melanchon yesterday closed the door to any dispute, after dismissing several deputies critical of the leader’s personality and line, such as Danielle Simonnet, Raquel Garrido and Alexis Corbie’re. These dismissed deputies should maintain their candidacy, even without the Insoumis label.
At the centre, after the defeat of the Europeans and the “stun” of the dissolution, the majority is trying to mobilize little by little under the leadership of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. The Prime Minister yesterday launched his program, all focused on purchasing power, and promised various measures in the event of victory of the presidential camp, such as a 15% reduction in electricity bills “starting next winter” or an increase of costs the amount of the so-called “Macron” bonus, paid by companies to their employees. On the far right front, the closing of the candidatures will allow the demonstrations led by Eric Ciotti to be judged. If the head of the RN Jordan Bardella announced that there will be “a common candidate in 70 constituencies”, the Nice native does not seem to have managed to bring with him any national figure. Another uncertainty concerns the number of Reconquete candidates since Eric Zemmour excluded Marion Mare’chal and her relatives, accused of having “betrayed” him for the RN. If the former journalist wants candidates everywhere, some local leaders of his movement have announced their support for the RN candidates.