Macron criticizes “unbridled racism” in the election heat

French President Emmanuel Macron promised to give clear instructions for voting, in the event of a confrontation in the second round of the legislative elections between the left and the far-right National Rally party, which is most likely to win. With the end of the campaign at midnight on Friday/Saturday, all opinion polls revealed a comfortable lead for the National Front party, which obtained 36 to 37% of voting intentions, and the difference between it and the left is large so far (28 to 29%), while it occupied the final majority. Her state ranked third (20% to 21%).

On Thursday evening, on the sidelines of a European summit in Brussels, Macron promised to be “very clear” in the voting instructions for the second round, in the event of a duel between the National Front and the left. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told BFMTV and Radio Monte Carlo on Friday, “Of course I want to prevent extremists, especially the far right, from winning these elections.” While in recent weeks the executive has put the National Front and the far-left La France Insoumise on an equal footing “and those who support them” – referring to the New Popular Front bloc, a left-wing coalition that includes the Socialists, the Greens and the Communist Party – Macron seemed to make a distinction in this position on Thursday evening in Brussels. “I had the opportunity to say that on the far left there were people who made comments about violence, about anti-parliamentarism, which I reject, but I do not mix up all the other political parties in general,” Macron said.

The president also denounced the “arrogance” of the National Rally party, which intends to impose a harsh coexistence on him if it wins and has “started distributing” all government posts. The final day of the campaign came the day after controversy over statements by far-right leader Marine Le Pen that suggested a difficult political coexistence if the National Rally wins. Le Pen considered the position of “Commander of the Armed Forces” granted to the president to be merely an “honorary title,” something Bardella implicitly expressed during the televised debate on Thursday evening. In fact, the title of Commander of the Armed Forces, provided for by the constitution, gives the president powers in the areas of foreign policy and defense that presidents have retained in previous periods of political coexistence in France. On Sunday, turnout is expected to be high, even the highest in 25 years, with two out of three voters intending to cast their ballots, compared to less than one in two in the 2022 legislative elections. The question of the “Republicans’ withdrawal” in the face of the far right is therefore at the heart of the stakes. It was an option championed by the New Popular Front, with environmentalists, socialists and communists indicating that their third-place candidates would withdraw.

In the leftist camp, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, founder of the Proud France party, indicated on Thursday that he does not intend to “surrender,” even in front of his allies who do not want him to become prime minister if he wins.