Luke Allnutt
France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party, led by Marine Le Pen, has secured a clear victory in the first round of parliamentary elections. If the party wins an absolute majority in the July 7 runoff, France would have a far-right government for the first time since World War II.
This result marks another big setback for beleaguered French President Emmanuel Macron, who dissolved parliament and called for snap elections in an attempt to halt the far-right’s progress after RN’s record gains in the June 6-9 European Parliament elections.
So, What Happens Now?
Even if the second round doesn’t lead to a National Rally government, this is perhaps the biggest political turmoil to engulf France in decades.
The key question is whether the RN can secure an absolute majority in the second round in the 577-seat National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament.
Efforts are already under way to form “Republican fronts” — anti-Le Pen alliances aimed at preventing the RN from gaining a majority. Macron has urged voters who supported his centrist Ensemble alliance, which trailed in third place with about 20 percent, to back “clearly republican and democratic” candidates in constituencies where his party finished third.
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