Gabriel Attal, France’s Prime Minister and a close confidant of President Emmanuel Macron, has expressed optimism that the attempt by multiple parties to keep Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN), a far-right group, from securing a majority in the upcoming Sunday’s legislative run-off may prove successful. This comes after over 200 hopefuls of various political affiliations withdrew from local races to allow for the most likely candidate to challenge the RN contender in their respective voting district.
Mr Attal, in an interview on France Inter radio, interpreted these withdrawals as a sign that a far-right majority could be circumvented. This is particularly relevant given that RN would need 289 seats in France’s 577-seat National Assembly to seize control. Trusted local reports estimate that about 218 candidates have backed out, reducing the chance of the anti-RN vote being divided across districts.
Before these withdrawals, forecasters had projected that RN could secure between 250-300 seats following the first election round. The challenge before them now is to convince voters to support this move of blocking the anti-immigration, Eurosceptic party. Centre-leaning voters may hesitate to back a far-left competitor to RN, while many disillusioned left-wing followers may find it hard to endorse an ally of Macron.
Ms Le Pen indicated on Wednesday the possibility of reaching out to other parties if RN fails to get an absolute majority. Her choice for Prime Minister, Jordan Bardella, had confidently declared that he would refuse to form a government without a strong enough mandate.
The financial markets responded positively to the move in forming a “republican front” against Ms Le Pen’s party, which resulted in a reduced risk premium on France’s sovereign debt. Mohit Kumar, the chief Europe economist at Jefferies, said in a note that this approach would significantly reduce the chances of Le Pen achieving a straightforward majority.
The RN stood strongly ahead after the first voting round on Sunday following a failed snap election gambit by Macron, causing his centrist party to lag behind in third place after the RN and a rapidly assembled left-wing coalition. However, concerns persist concerning the RN’s “national preference” and anti-immigrant policies, and its entrenched Euroscepticism could pose significant challenges to future European integration, despite years of attempts by Ms Le Pen to present a toned-down image of the party.
Plans to overturn President Macron’s reforms, particularly his unpopular initiative to raise the retirement age have been revealed, drawing economists to scrutinise if the abundant spending plans of The National Rally (RN) are thoroughly financed. Regardless of whether the RN gains power, France could be facing a prolonged period of political ambiguity lasting until the end of Macron’s term in 2027. This period is when Le Pen is predicted to strongly vie for the presidency.
In response to suggestions for an interim cross-party government in case of a hung parliament, Mr Attal reiterated his proposition for mainstream parties to collaborate in parliament concerning individual legislative matters. He expressed his desire for a substantial Macron-supporting Ensemble camp, which afterwards would strive to attain majorities on a per-project criteria.
The cross-party attempt to thwart RN has been criticised by them as being an effort to undermine democratic principles and voters’ desires. Mr Bardella, speaking to Le Figaro newspaper, declared: “We are the true ‘republican front’.” – Reuters
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