The Rise of the Far Right: Early Legislative Elections in France

On Sunday, the first round of legislative elections began in polling stations across France. The elections, called early by President Emmanuel Macron, could see the far right come to power for the first time through democratic means. More than 49.5 million citizens are called to the polls to elect their 577 deputies of the National Assembly. The second round will take place next Sunday, July 7.

The far-right National Rally (RN) leads polls with a voting intention of 36%, even more than the 31.4% obtained in the European elections on June 9, in which its victory prompted President Emmanuel Macron to call these elections. The New Popular Front (NFP), which represents the left, has an average of 28.2% in the polls, while the Macronist bloc is further behind, with an average of 20.3%, a sharp drop compared to the elections two years ago.

The president of RN and candidate for prime minister, Jordan Bardella, only 28 years old, has insistently asked French voters to give him an absolute majority so that he can have a free hand to apply his electoral program without hindrance. In this election cycle, it’s extremely difficult to predict the outcome due to France’s complicated voting system and because parties will work between rounds to form alliances in some constituencies or exit others. However, support for Le Pen’s party has become widespread and it could change everything