In France, the first round of legislative elections resulted in a surprising victory for the far-right National Rally party led by Marine Le Pen, with 33% of the vote. President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance trailed in third with just 20%. Turnout was high at nearly 60%, indicating a sense of volatility. Macron had called for these snap elections after his party performed poorly in European Parliament elections. The results were a clear rebuke of Macron and his party, with the extreme right now on the verge of gaining power.
The left and center blocs are now scrambling to form tactical alliances to block the National Rally in the final runoff votes on July 7. Macron’s prime minister, Gabriel Attal, stressed the importance of preventing the far right from gaining an absolute majority. The left-wing New Popular Front announced it would withdraw candidates to prevent vote splitting.
If the National Rally gains the most seats in the French National Assembly in the final round, it would be a dramatic moment in French political history. The leader of the National Rally, Marine Le Pen, declared that democracy had spoken and Macron’s centrist bloc had been “practically erased.” The outcome of the elections will be crucial, just over two weeks ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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