Marine Le Pen's Far-Right National Rally Surges in Snap Election

Summary

In France's recent snap parliamentary elections, the far-right National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, secured nearly 34% of the vote, significantly ahead of President Macron's Ensemble Alliance which came third. The left coalition, New Popular Front, placed second with 28%. The election results have sparked protests against the far-right's rise, with fears of social and economic regression. Macron's decision to dissolve the parliament during the National Rally's peak has been questioned. As the second round of elections approaches on July 7th, the possibility of a united front against the far right is uncertain, with mixed signals from Macron's camp and the left's willingness to withdraw candidates to block the National Rally.

Takeaways

• 🗳️ The far-right National Rally party, led by Marine Le Pen, secured a significant lead in the first round of France's snap parliamentary elections, with nearly 34% of the vote.
• 📉 President Emmanuel Macron's Ensemble Alliance came in third, behind both the National Rally and the left-wing New Popular Front, which received about 28% of the vote.
• 📊 The National Rally's rise in popularity is attributed to its anti-immigrant, xenophobic, and anti-Muslim policies, and it has been accused of anti-Semitism.
• 👥 Marine Le Pen's party has seen a significant increase in votes, from 4.2 million in 2022 to over 10 million in the recent elections, indicating a substantial surge in support.
• 🤔 The decision by Macron to dissolve the parliament following the National Rally's victory in the European Parliament elections has raised questions about his strategy and intentions.
• 👨‍👧 Marine Le Pen took over the National Rally from her father, Jean Marie Le Pen, and has attempted to 'demonize' the party's image to make it more palatable to traditional conservative elites.
• 🚫 The National Rally is known for its staunchly xenophobic stance, advocating for strict immigration policies and a clear division between French nationals and non-nationals.
• 🏛️ The left-wing New Popular Front has proposed a 'Republican front' against the far-right, offering to withdraw candidates in districts where they are not leading to consolidate opposition votes.
• 📢 There is confusion and mixed signals from Macron's center coalition regarding whether they will withdraw candidates to form a united front against the National Rally.
• 📅 The second round of elections is scheduled for July 7th, and the outcome will determine the composition of the French parliament and potentially the direction of the country's policies.
• 📢 The script highlights a cultural and political shift in France, where the far-right is now a formidable force, and there is a debate about the equivalence of threats posed by both the far-right and left-wing parties.

Q & A

What significant event took place in France recently?

The far-right National Rally party, led by Marine Le Pen, secured a significant lead in the first round of snap parliamentary elections, which is considered a blow to President Emmanuel Macron's Ensemble Alliance.

What was the outcome of the first round of snap parliamentary elections in France?

Marine Le Pen's National Rally secured nearly 34% of the vote, while the New Popular Front, a coalition of leftist parties, came in second with about 28% of the vote.

How did the French public react to the initial election results?

Hundreds of people took to the streets in Paris and other cities, protesting against the rise of the far-right with signs expressing their concerns about the potential impact on social rights and economic progress.

What concerns do the protesters have regarding the National Rally's potential rise to power?

Protesters are worried about the potential worsening of immigration policies, rights for LGBT individuals, women's rights including abortion, and medically assisted procreation due to the far-right's known anti-immigrant and xenophobic stances.

What was President Macron's response to the European Parliament elections' outcome?

Following major losses to the far-right National Rally party in the European Parliament elections, President Macron called for snap parliamentary elections in an attempt to reinforce his position.

Who is Jordan Bardella, and what role does he play in the National Rally party?

Jordan Bardella is a 28-year-old who has been announced as the National Rally party's candidate for prime minister, indicating the party's rise in popularity and its shift towards a more government-capable stance.

What is the historical context of the National Rally party in France?

The National Rally, previously known as the National Front, was founded by Marine Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in the 1970s. It was known for its staunch opposition to immigration and had been considered beyond the pale of legitimacy in French politics until Marine Le Pen's leadership.

What changes did Marine Le Pen make to the party's image and policies?

Marine Le Pen attempted to 'demonize' the party, distancing it from its extremist past and making it more palatable to traditional conservative elites. She also shifted the party's economic stance from a Reaganesque approach to a more workerist economic populism, although recent actions suggest a move back to its original positions.

What is the strategy of the New Popular Front in response to the National Rally's lead?

The New Popular Front has offered to withdraw all left-wing candidates from districts where they are in third place, behind either Macron's coalition or another faction of the center-right, in an attempt to form a united front against the far-right.

What is the current stance of Macron's coalition regarding the upcoming final elections?

Macron's coalition has not yet provided clarity on whether they will withdraw candidates from certain districts where they are in third place, behind either the National Rally or another center-right faction.

What is the significance of the term 'Republican front' in the French political context?

The term 'Republican front' refers to a historical French political strategy where parties unite against a common far-right threat, aiming to protect the democratic and republican values of the nation.

Outlines

00:00

🗳️ Far-Right Surge in French Elections

The first paragraph of the video script discusses the significant lead of the far-right party in France's snap parliamentary elections, a setback for President Emmanuel Macron's Ensemble Alliance. Marine Le Pen's National Rally secured nearly 34% of the vote, while the leftist New Popular Front came in second with 28%. The results led to protests in Paris against the potential rise of the far-right, with concerns over social rights, economic progress, and issues affecting minorities. The high voter turnout, particularly among young voters, was highlighted, as well as the strategic decision by Macron to dissolve the National Assembly following losses in the European Parliament elections. The National Rally's rise in popularity and its anti-immigrant, xenophobic, and anti-Muslim policies are underscored, with the party's candidate for prime minister, Jordan Bardella, being introduced.

05:01

📊 Analysis of National Rally's Gains

The second paragraph delves into the substantial increase in votes for Marine Le Pen's party, noting a surge from 4.2 million votes in 2022 to over 10 million in this election. The discussion covers the historical context of the National Rally, previously known as the National Front, and its shift under Marine Le Pen's leadership to appear more legitimate and acceptable in French politics. The narrative of 'demonizing' the party is challenged, and the economic positions of the National Rally are examined, including a move towards economic populism that has been recently abandoned in favor of positions more amenable to the French corporate community.

10:01

🛑 Shifts in National Rally's Policies

This paragraph focuses on the recent shifts in the National Rally's stance, particularly the dropping of economic populist positions as the party prepares for potential governance. The conversation touches on the party's unwavering commitment to anti-immigrant and xenophobic policies, and the likelihood of stricter immigration controls and expulsion processes if they come to power. The potential for a united front against the far-right, including the possibility of the left and Macron's forces combining to defeat the National Rally in the upcoming elections, is explored. The New Popular Front's offer to withdraw candidates in certain districts to form a 'Republican front' against the far-right is mentioned, alongside the unclear stance of Macron's center coalition.

15:02

🏛️ Political Implications and Future Outlook

The final paragraph of the script reflects on the broader cultural and political shifts that have led to the far-right's strong position in French politics. It discusses the potential for the National Rally to form a government and the challenges of building a unified front against them. The script ends with commentary on the mainstream media and political pundits' portrayal of the far-right as an equal threat to the left-wing factions, highlighting the dangers of such equivalency in the current political climate.

Keywords

💡Far-right

The term 'far-right' refers to political ideologies, groups, or parties that advocate for strong nationalism, anti-immigration policies, and often hold conservative or reactionary views on social issues. In the video's context, it is associated with Marine Le Pen's National Rally (formerly National Front), which has gained significant support in France's parliamentary elections, reflecting a broader theme of rising far-right movements in European politics.

💡Snap elections

Snap elections are elections that are called unexpectedly, outside of the regular election cycle. In the video, President Emmanuel Macron called for snap elections following major losses in the European Parliament elections to the far-right National Rally party, which was a strategic move that has raised questions about its intent and consequences.

💡National Rally

The National Rally, previously known as the National Front, is a French far-right political party. The party, led by Marine Le Pen, has been gaining popularity with its anti-immigration and nationalist stances. The term is central to the video's narrative as it discusses the party's significant lead in the elections and its implications for French politics.

💡Immigration

Immigration is a key issue in the video, as the National Rally's anti-immigrant policies are a defining aspect of their platform. The video discusses concerns that these policies could lead to worsening conditions for immigrants and potentially stricter regulations on immigration if the party comes into power.

💡Voter turnout

Voter turnout refers to the percentage of eligible voters who cast their votes in an election. The video mentions that the recent elections had the highest voter turnout in years, indicating a high level of civic engagement and concern among the French youth about the rise of the far-right.

💡Protests

Protests are public demonstrations against perceived injustices or policies. The video describes protests in Paris and other cities following the initial election results, with protesters expressing their opposition to the far-right and their concerns about the future of France's social rights and values.

💡New Popular Front

The New Popular Front is a coalition of leftist parties in France. In the video, it is mentioned as the second-place contender in the elections, and its leaders are joining mass protests against the far-right, vowing to break with Macron's policies and advocating for a united front against the National Rally.

💡Prime Minister candidate

A Prime Minister candidate is an individual put forward by a political party to potentially lead the government if that party wins the elections. In the script, Jordan Bardella, a 28-year-old representing the National Rally, is announced as the party's candidate for Prime Minister, symbolizing a new generation of far-right leadership.

💡Xenophobia

Xenophobia is the fear or dislike of people from other countries or cultures. The video discusses the National Rally's xenophobic policies, which include anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiments, and how these views have contributed to the party's rise in popularity.

💡Republican front

A 'Republican front' is a political strategy where parties from different sides of the spectrum come together to oppose a common threat, in this case, the far-right National Rally. The video mentions the possibility of such a front being formed to counter the National Rally's gains in the elections.

💡Marine Le Pen

Marine Le Pen is the leader of the National Rally and a prominent figure in the far-right political landscape of France. The video discusses her role in transforming the party's image and policies, as well as her efforts to make the party more palatable to traditional conservative elites and the French corporate community.

Highlights

The far-right National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, holds a significant lead in the first round of snap parliamentary elections in France.

President Emmanuel Macron's Ensemble Alliance came third, behind both the far-right and the leftist New Popular Front.

Marine Le Pen's National Rally secured nearly 34% of the vote, while the New Popular Front received about 28%.

Protests erupted in Paris and other cities against the rise of the far-right, with signs advocating against fascism and hatred.

Concerns are raised over potential impacts on social rights, economic progress, immigration policies, and rights for LGBT, women, and abortion.

The election saw the highest voter turnout in years, with young French voters urged to vote against extremists.

Leaders of the New Popular Front joined mass protests, vowing to fight against the far-right and break with Macron's policies.

Macron called for snap elections following major losses in the European Parliament elections to the far-right National Rally party.

The National Rally party has been steadily rising in popularity, backing anti-immigrant, xenophobic, racist, and anti-Muslim policies.

Marine Le Pen has attempted to 'detoxify' the party, distancing it from its past reputation and making it more palatable to traditional conservatives.

The party's economic stance has shifted from economic populism to a more traditional conservative position to appeal to the corporate community.

The National Rally's candidate for Prime Minister, Jordan Bardella, represents a new generation of far-right leadership in France.

The left and Macron's forces are considering uniting to form a 'Republican front' against the far-right in the final election round.

The New Popular Front has offered to withdraw candidates in districts where they are in third place to consolidate opposition to the far-right.

Macron's center coalition has not yet clarified whether they will withdraw candidates in certain districts to consolidate opposition.

There is a debate over the equivalency drawn between the leftwing factions and Marine Le Pen, which could impact the formation of an alliance against the far-right.

The far-right's strong position and potential to form a government raises questions about the future of French politics and societal values.

Transcripts

We Begin Today's Show in France where

the far rights at the gates of power as

it holds a significant lead in the first

round of snap parliamentary elections

Sunday a blow to president Emanuel

macron's Ensemble Alliance which pulled

third to the right and to the left

Marine Le Pen's anti-immigrant National

rally and our block has so far clinched

nearly 34% of the vote while the new

popular front a coalition formed by

leftist parties came in second with

about 28% of the vote this is farri

leader Marine

Leen my dear compatriots democracy has

spoken and the French people have placed

the national rally and its allies on top

and have practically erased macron's

block meanwhile hundreds of people took

to the streets of Paris in other cities

Sunday following news of the initial

results protesters held signs that read

let's not leave France to the fascists

and enough of the hatred

era it worries me personally because we

see that the national rally are on top

and it scares me we don't see a vote

coming for social rights we don't see

economic progress we don't see

immigration it will worsen rights for

LGBT for women abortion medically

assisted procreation all of this will be

swept away because it's the far right we

mustn't forget that Sunday's election

brought out the highest voter turnout in

years as young French voters were urged

to come out to defeat extremists leaders

of the newly formed leftist new popular

front also joined Mass protests against

the rise of the far right vowing a

complete break with macron's policies

this is mati Peno head of France unbowed

speaking from Paris last

month popular mobilization is the key to

fight against the extreme right and to

beat the extreme right we say regularly

that the European elections Mark the

after macron

period macron stunned France calling on

for the snap elections following major

losses in European Parliament elections

last month to the far-right National

rally party the RN has announced

28-year-old Jordan bardella as its

candidate for prime minister the party

steadily risen in popularity across

France as it backs anti-immigrant

xenophobic racist and anti-muslim

policies it's also been accused of

anti-Semitism many have urged parties to

unite against the RN as the second round

of the elections is scheduled for Sunday

July 7th for more we go to Paris where

we're joined by Harrison stetler a

freelance journalist and teacher his

latest piece for Jackin is titled

corporate France is making peace with

Marine Leen welcome to democracy Now

Harrison can you start off by just

describing what took place

yeah of course hi Amy uh thanks so much

for having me on I me first off I wish I

could say that that these results were

were surprising uh were not to be

expected I mean in electoral politics

you

somewhat can occasionally be expect to

to have pleasant surprises in elections

this unfortunately is what we what many

observers what many people in France

have seen coming for several weeks from

the day that Emanuel macroon made the

shocking decision in in early June to

disolve thetion

assembly on the backs of what was a

historic victory for the national rally

in the European elections as you

presented in in your introduction um the

the I would say the the the gut reaction

on the ground in Paris in in political

circles here in the mainstream media

there's the the impression one has is a

certain sense of vertigo across the

board I mean the the the the headline of

Lon today the front page cover of Leon

today is the far right is on the

doorstep power and it seems like that

says it all I mean this this has been

building for many weeks uh the decision

to dissolve

parliament is going to by macron a few

weeks ago is going to occupy many

analysts for many years to come what was

macron really thinking

um was it a Longshot attempt to

reinforce himself was it a cynical ploy

to perhaps introduce the far right to

power if only to weaken it um that is

going to be result olved by by

historians and whatnot but now what is

clear is that this decision was timed at

a moment when the far Rights was at its

strongest historical position in modern

French political history uh and they've

capitalized on that uh they've sailed in

the momentum of the the European

elections into a strong first Pace

finish you said yes

33.5% of the vote in according to the

latest sta statistics that I've seen uh

of yesterday's first round vote in these

legisl elections but really I mean those

figures are as a percentage that that

can maybe be um caused for some perhaps

undo relief I mean 33 that's a third

there are two-thirds of the French

election that are therefore still

opposed I mean if you even really dig

into these numbers this the upwards of

10.5 according to the latest figures

I've seen 10.5 million people who voted

for Marine Le Pen's party um under the

list of Jordan bardella the official

president of the national rally

something like 10.6 Accord latest

figures for the first round votes

that's more than about six or 7 million

voters compared to the legislative

elections in 2022 when the party won

something like 4.2 million votes it's

just an enormous enormous surge in two

years time for a party that relatively

recently was was considered Beyond The

Pale of of legitimacy and acceptability

uh in French politics much of the

rhetoric of of French political culture

in the late 20th early 21st century

obviously one can question the sincerity

of it but much of the rhetoric uh of

French politics uh up until very very

recently and we should Pro discuss this

shift was was about projecting the far

rights as the one unacceptable

alternative to legitimate Republican

politics so talk about who Marine Le pen

is of course who inherited what was

known what as the national front from

her father Jean Marie Le Pen this is a

whole family affair right it's her

nephew-in-law that's Jordan bardella who

would be the Prime Minister if uh the NR

wins right right so Marine Le Pen took

over control of the of the the national

rally about 10 years ago in the early

2010s before as you mentioned uh the

this this far-right force was founded by

her her her father Jean Marie lean in

the early 1970s

and in the early 1970s up until really

the Marine Leen ERA this was the the

benoir of of French political life um it

was a party that brought together skin

heads uh Neo fascists

um a lot of hard right conservatives in

southern France um but specifically

people who were mostly driven by by

obviously staunch opposition to

immigration um and a party that traced

its Ro Roots back to sort of nostalgics

of of of the vichi regime uh hard right

French people who just never accepted

the defeat of of of France and the the

Algerian war of independence early

1960s um so this was this was sort of

the yeah the the benoir of French

political life was was were these forces

in the early 2010s Marine Leen when she

took over the reign of one Reigns of her

party I mean the the constant framing of

of of the Marine Leen shift in the early

2010s is that she moved to the the term

the French use is to D diabolize the

what was then called the national front

uh in 2019 she she changed the name to

the which means the national rally um

and so the the main Narrative of the

Leen Leen years and obviously this this

this narrative leaves

out all the continuity over over the

transfer between Jean Marie Leen and

Marine Leen um but the the main

Narrative of the last 12 um 10 years of

of the of the national Rally's history

or the National front's History is

Marine Le Pen's attempt to detoxify the

party uh she actually moved to expel her

father a few years ago on account of of

of further outrageous Holocaust dening

claims that he made um and her broad

strategy do this has been to try to

present a force that is more or less

capable of government um can be amenable

to traditional conservative Elites um on

the other hand you had an attempt by

Marine Leen in the ear in in the 2010s

to Mark somewhat of a shift from sort of

the the the original economic positions

of of the farri national rally U which

in her father's years was essentially

was the French version of of reaganism

whereas much of the traditional Center

rights up until the

2000s had an at least rhetorical support

for the French welfare states um

defending certain sort of social

institutions that maintain the peace

between between businesses and workers

uh the the original National front was

very much sort

of alleged to be the defender of sort of

the small uh the small entrepreneur

against big business in collusion with

with States state actors and Marine Leen

orchestrated to shift towards a sort of

more workerist economic populist

position which in recent weeks actually

has essentially been dropped out of the

dropped out of the arena and what we

what we've seen in the last two weeks is

the party essentially prepares itself

for for a likely position of government

uh from perhaps next week uh is that it

is reshoring itself of many of the sort

of economic populist positions that Leen

long held in an attempt to to impress or

or assuage the concerns of of of many

figures in the French uh corporate

Community we only have a minute or two

left and I wanted to ask about the

closing the borders anti-immigrant um

Mantra of this party and also I mean

when you have a close second of the left

uh if the left were to combine with

macron's forces the center which were

trounced that would certainly beat out

uh the far right is that a possibility

in this July 7th final

election of course to resp the first

question I mean if there's been shifts

back to the original Pro bus planks of

the of the far right uh what it has

clung to absolutely is is it's staunchly

xenophobic uh uh rejection of

immigration we're going to see an

attempt if they're in power in a

position to govern an attempt to fully

accelerat and expedites uh the process

for expulsion of of of immigrants in

France Zero Tolerance policies um um

attempts to in Institute a firm division

between French Nationals and non-french

Nationals even between French Nationals

and bational French citizens people who

have a second passport um so the party

is is there's more um that that connects

it to its past than that that

distinguishes it just one to the second

question which really is the question

over the next specifically 24 hours but

mostly until Sunday is what are the

other political forces going to do in

this situation I mean the the the

national rally and the faction of the

center right that they're allied with

are in a very commanding position uh are

in first place in the majority of

runoffs for next Sunday uh and what can

the other forces do I mean the to the

left's credit uh the new popular front

Alliance they they have put out a very

fair offer uh a very reasonable

proposition to withdraw all leftwing

candidates from districts in which the

leftwing candidate qualified for the

second round runoff um but is in third

place behind another figure of either

mael block uh the Mac Centrist Coalition

or the wing of the center right that

that Allied that did not Ally with lean

um so the left has made it very clear

that they are willing to move to

reconstitute something along the lines

of what the french of the last several

decades have called the Republican front

against the far right um now if you look

to to what's happening in the macron

center you're getting anything but

Clarity in that regard you have macron

put out a very sort of vague sentence

about the desire to have a a a

Democratic and Republican Alliance um

you hear some figures say that yes they

will pull out from certain districts

certain

constituencies uh when the alternate

candidates in second or first place um

ahead of them against the national rally

is someone that they deem Republican

enough and respectful enough of rep

clear on that point just to be clear on

that point you have um the leftist new

popular friend saying their candidates

would stand down if they were in third

place came out you know there were like

300 candidates macron's Coalition has

not yet stated their candidates would

step down if they were in third right

you're hearing mixed you're hearing

mixed signals you have you have an

acknowledgements of of willingness on on

macron's part yes two withdraw

candidacies again what what macron's

communication and what the center rights

communication is is that Frum the

dominant force in in the leftwing new

popular front Alliance is essentially as

dangerous as Le Pen I mean this is

little has has has done more harm to

France's political debate than this than

this uh equivalency drawn between the

leftwing frames and Marine Leen um and

over the next week we're going to see

the the degree to which that that will

hamstring any attempts to to build some

form of of of Republican front Alliance

to block the far rights but for much of

the French political class um for much

of the the um mainstream media

organizations and for many pundits that

will will do the rounds on television

networks or that will be signing any of

the columns and weekly magazines of the

next week they they will they will will

have this line of of the the farle

fanum um is an anti-semitic Force is is

is an equal threat to to Republican

order um and it's an extremely extremely

dangerous

um uh dangerous equivalency that it's

drawn and is really it's it's something

that touches to I think the the core of

of the the broad cultural and political

shifts that that have have led us to

this point uh where we are today with

with the far right in in a very strong

position and reasonably confidence of of

of potentially winning an absolute

majority or at least being in a position

form a relative majority and and have

potentially a minority government from

next week Harrison stetler independent

journalist and teacher based in paris's

latest piece for jackan corporate France

is making peace with Marine lepen