France’s Macron and left-wing rivals race to stop far-right rise in election second round
- The far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen won a resounding victory in the first round of the polls Sunday
French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance and the left-wing New Popular Front were weighing whether to pull candidates from the second round of the legislative election next Sunday to keep the ascendant far-right National Rally out of power.
Winning an absolute majority of seats in the second round would hand the premiership to National Rally President Jordan Bardella and assure the party’s ability to easily pass legislation.
Traditionally, France’s mainstream has banded together to keep the far-right – which has never held power in the modern French republic – out of government.
“The lesson of today is that the far-right is at the gates of power,” French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told supporters Sunday night. “Our objective is clear: to prevent the National Rally from having an absolute majority.”