First projections give victory to the far right in France. National Union with 34% of the votes
The first projections give victory to the far-right party, National Union (UN) of Jordan Bardella, with 34% of the votes, in the first round of the legislative elections in France. The New Popular Front (NFP), a left-wing coalition, appears in second position with 28.1% of the vote, while Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party (Renassaince) collects 20.3% of the votes, placing third, according to Ipsos estimates.
In Ifop’s estimate for TF1, the UN has 34.5% of the votes, followed by the NFP with 28.5% and Macron’s party, with 22.5%. In Fígaro’s projection, the UN reaches 34.2% of the vote and the left-wing coalition and the French President’s party 29.1% and 21.5%, respectively.
In a first reaction, Marine Le Pen welcomed the significant vote for her far-right party, speaking of confirming the “confidence†of the French. “Democracy has spoken and nothing is more normal than political alternation. The Macronist Bloc is practically erased†, declared Le Pen, calling for a “clear†victory in the second round, next Sunday.
âWe need an absolute majority for Jordan Bardella to be appointed Prime Minister by Emmanuel Macron in eight days”, he insisted, stressing that nothing has been gained and it will be essential to prevent power from falling into the hands of the left-wing coalition next Sunday.
For Le Pen, the victory of the UN means the clear desire of the majority of French people in quere “to turn the page, after seven years of contemptuous and corrosive power” of Macron’s party. “To this end, I appeal to those who voted for us to renew their votes and to others to join us. Today is a day of hope, on the 7th everyone needs to mobilize,” he appealed.
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No French person will “lose any rights†, he guaranteed, stressing that “new rights will be created for the benefit of all†. In the same vein, the winner of the first round, Jordan Bardella, promised that if he is elected PM, he will always be the “guarantor of the rights and freedoms” of the French. “The French gave an indisputable verdict and clearly showed that they aspire to change. It’s time to have leaders who understand them. Next Sunday, victory is possible and within our reach†, he anticipated, calling for mobilization next Sunday, in a “last effort†with a view to an absolute majority. And he highlighted the “risk†of a “ruined†economy and “disorder†with immigration if the New Popular Front wins the second round.
yes Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of Insubmissive France, which is part of the NFP, considered, in turn, that reaching second place in the first round also constitutes a victory for a recent left-wing coalition. And he pointed to a “heavy defeat†for Macron. “It was an indisputable defeat for the President, his candidates and the presidential majority. Tonight there is only one certainty: Grabriel Attal will not be Prime Minister of France again†he shot.
In the second round, Mélenchon argued, it will be up to the French to choose what future they want for the country: “aggravating divisions†, social inequalities, differences based on religion, ethnicities, origin or having a single people and defending the common good, without “previous conditions†. And he also asked for an absolute majority for the New Popular Front.
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Withdraw candidacies to stop the extreme right
But promised that the left-wing coalition will withdraw its candidacies where the UN is in first place and the left-wing coalition is in third, with a view to stopping the extreme right. Macron’s party also left an appeal in the same direction: for candidates from the party that came in third place to withdraw their candidacies in favor of the NFP, in order to combat Marine Le Pen’s party.
In a statement cited by the newspaper “Le Monde†, the presidential coalition Juntos, led by current PM Gabriel Attal, also warns of the need to make “the values of the Republic” win next Sunday. “Face threat of a victory for the extreme right, we call on all political groups to act responsibly and do the same”.
At this time, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, is meeting with his hard core at the Élysée Palace to analyze the first projections. He has not yet reacted out loud, but released a statement to call for massive participation in the second round of the legislative elections, next Sunday, in order to “clarify the political situation†. In the face of the National Union, the time has come for “a broad, clearly democratic and republican union†for the second round, he noted.
âThe high participation in the first round attests to the importance of this vote for all our compatriots and the desire to clarify the political situation. The democratic choice obliges us to do so,” advocated the French President.
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