Le Pen’s right wing ahead in France, Macron’s appeal for a "republican bloc"

The far right of the Marine Le Pen’s National Rally,led by the young Jordan Bardella,wins in France in the first round of legislative elections and could come to power for the first time in the Fifth Republic. Late at night the official results from the Ministry of the Interior arrive: with 33.1% of the votes, the Rassemblement National (RN) and its allies are ahead of the left-wing coalition gathered in New Popular Front (NFP), which obtained 28% of the votes. Further back, on the third step of the podium, there is the deployment of the president Emmanuel Macron,which stopped at 20%. The Republicans (right), who have not formed an alliance with the RN for this call to the polls, stood at 10%. After the result of the first round, RN is already certain of 37 seats, the NFP of 32, the presidential field of 2.

Macron has chosen to return to the polls three weeks after the vote in the European elections, which certified the advance of the right, with the early dissolution of the National Assembly just two years after his previous election. Given the importance of what was at stake, the electoral round was characterized by a sharp increase in turnout,which reached 66.7%. Now the progressive camp has started the game of giving up in order to favor the candidates most capable of defeating the far right, with the combination of the left and the Macronians looking for an agreement for a possible majority of broad agreements.

“Barrage” against the right

To be elected in the first round of the French legislative elections, a candidate must obtain an absolute majority of valid votes. All candidates who have obtained at least 12.5% ​​of the votes of those registered on the lists of the constituency advance to the second round, with the possibility of triangular ballots. The second round is scheduled for next Sunday, July, but the final reconfiguration of the Assembly will depend a lot on the dynamics that will occur this week between possible withdrawals and voting indications in each constituency.

Le Monde reports that 169 candidates have already passed the second round of the legislative elections in France and have withdrawn to form a barrage against the candidates of the Rassemblement National. According to the newspaper’s count, as of 5 p.m., 169 candidates have withdrawn: 122 are from the left of the New Popular Front, 46 from the Macronist bloc and one from the Republicans.

Bardella towards cohabitation?

“I intend to be a prime minister of cohabitation, respectful of the Constitution and the office of the President of the Republic, but without compromising on the policies that we will implement in the service of France”, Bardella announced immediately after the vote. In the event of an absolute majority for the Le Penists in the Assembly at the end of the second round, the leader of the far right will be “the prime minister of all French people”. Le Pen was more clear-cut, speaking of a “Macronist bloc practically wiped out” after the first round. The right-wing leader has already snatched her re-election in the first round.

“In front of the Rassemblement National, the time has come for a broad demonstration, clearly democratic and republican for the second round,” Macron commented on the vote immediately after the polls closed. The president welcomed the “large turnout” which “testifies to the importance of this vote for all our compatriots and the desire to clarify the political situation.” Among his third-place candidates, the Foreign Minister has already announced that they will forgo the second round. Marie Guevenoux and the undersecretary Sabrina Agresti Roubachcalling for a vote against the RN.

From Attal a first olive branch on the left

Gabriel Attal has suspended the implementation of the controversial unemployment insurance reform, which was to be the subject of a decree to be published on July 1. The prime minister “has decided this evening to suspend the implementation of the unemployment insurance reform, including the publication of the decree,” a source said. This reform will thus be able to “be the subject of adjustments and discussions among the republican forces. This is Attal’s first act in the spirit of the future majorities of projects and ideas that he mentioned this evening.” To avoid a legal vacuum, given that the current rules on unemployment insurance were only valid until today, a “joint decree” will be published extending them.

Unions call for reining in the far right. Faced with the “danger” of the RN coming to power, Marylise Leon, leader of the CFDT, warned against any “political calculation”, while Sophie Binet, leader of the CGT, called for the “responsibility” of all French people.

The New Popular Front has achieved an important result, but to try to compete with the RN in a week, it must work on the different visions within the left-wing cartel that brings together Jean-Luc Mèlenchon’s France Insoumise, the Socialist Party, the Greens, the Communists and other minor forces. Socialist secretary Olivier Faure warns: “I hear many leaders of the Macronian camp speaking without giving clear voting instructions. Their words are too confusing. It is up to them to launch a clear call for mobilization and for the Republic”. A very long week begins, with the leader of the Elysée called to play his last cards to stay in the saddle permanently.