The Rassemblement National (RN, “National Rally”) dominated French congressional elections on Sunday. Following their stellar performance during the European elections, French President Macron legally dissolved the Assembly and called for new elections. The RN came in first with 34%, followed by the leftwing coalition at 28%. Macron’s liberal party came in third at 20%, and the center-right Republicans came in at 10%.
In two weeks, France will be voting for a second round, with only the top two candidates in each district securing a place on the ballot. The RN will want to capitalize on this support and capture votes of other right wing and center parties. The left and liberals will be battling on how to make an alliance to defeat the RN, though they are by no means great friends. The BBC says:
There will be much talk in the coming days of centrist and left-wing candidates standing aside in round two in order to concentrate the anti-RN vote – and much wailing about the disappearance of the old Front Républicain (when the other parties used to agree to keep out the far-right).
But it would take an upset of monumental proportions to overturn the only conclusion that can be drawn from this first round of voting, which is that RN is now indisputably the dominant political force in France.
The RN has gradually improved its image over the years, excluding neo-Nazi elements to focus on real conservative or nationalist solutions. First scoring over 20% in 2002, the RN has gradually crept up in numbers, first with 34% in 2017 and then 41% in 2022. Fox News continues:
“Following historic victories for conservatives in the EU elections a few weeks ago, France today reaffirmed the drastic shift we are seeing in Europe away from the failed left-wing playbook in favor of a common-sense conservative agenda centered around lower taxes, a crackdown on illegal immigration, and support for freedom of speech,” Matt Mowers, EU-US Forum founding board member and former State Department official, told Fox News Digital. “Today’s results serve as another major message to bureaucrats in Brussels – Europeans want conservative policies and leaders.”
Turnout on Sunday stood at an unusually high 59% three hours before polls closed – 20 percentage points higher than turnout at the same time in the last first-round vote in 2022.
This could be the beginning of a wave . The old conservative parties, such as the British Conservatives or French Republicainshave been completely hollowed out, failing to deliver on promises. Nationalist parties, including Republicans under Trump, are seen as the more legitimate heirs to right the ship.
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