Editorial|The future French government must find credible solutions to the problems that have increased support for the far right.
RThe result of the parliamentary elections in Anska is a relief and a cause for concern at the same time for the rest of Europe. The far right did not come to power in France, but France entered a period of great uncertainty. In the future, President Emmanuel Macron may have difficulty getting through any decision he wants.
The election result means a difficult-to-govern France, where Macron does not have the same support as before for a strong policy supporting Ukraine, for strengthening Europe’s common foreign and security policy, or for an economic policy that would curb France’s indebtedness. The cooperation between France and Germany is not getting any easier, but the pressure for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to really start equipping his country and at the same time transforming Europe into a new strategic superpower race is growing. However, it may very well be that Scholz will not be able to extract this kind of leadership.
Macron only won one thing in his gamble. In France, there was a will to vote against the far right. However, the left-wing coalition New People’s Front (Nouveau front populaire, NFP) won the election, and Macron’s center-liberal coalition Ensemble came second. Macron’s own party lost its majority in parliament.
The staunchly nationalist and anti-foreigner National Alliance (Rassemblement National, RN) lost the three-bloc elections, but according to RN strongman Marine Le Pen, the party’s victory was only postponed afterwards. Here, Le Pen may be right.
The national coalition is guaranteed to use its time well and prepare for the next – possibly premature – parliamentary elections and, above all, the 2027 presidential elections.
The most clear thing about the election result is that the government negotiations will be difficult. Both the French and the rest of Europe must be prepared for the fact that government negotiations will take time. The end result can also be the appointment of a technocrat from outside the political playing field as prime minister.
Vthe winner of the awards was the left-wing coalition New People’s Front (Nouveau front populaire, NFP). It consists of four parties, the strongest of which was the far-left Indomitable France (La France insoumise) led by three-time presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Its ranks are somewhat stilted and pro-Russian, and Mélenchon himself has been accused of anti-Semitism.
For bourgeois voters, Mélenchon is poison. In the French economy, many would rather see even Le Pen in power than Mélenchon, who is pushing for tax increases and a higher minimum wage. The goal of the NFP has been to declare a social state of emergency in France, during which price ceilings for food, energy and fuels would be introduced. The left-wing bloc’s retirement age would decrease to 60 years.
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For bourgeois voters, Mélenchon is poison.
Macron’s centrist liberals would be interested in government cooperation with moderate conservatives and socialists and greens belonging to the left bloc. The breakup of the left-wing bloc is still not very likely, because it was the cooperation that brought its parties the election victory.
For the rest of Europe, the influence of the left-wing bloc on Macron is visible in the EU line. The concern is, among other things, that France may not adhere to the economic rules of the Eurozone. Support for Ukraine will not be affected by the election result this year, but next year’s budget will be discussed in the fall. The left-wing bloc supporting Palestine has a lot to say about Israeli politics.
Pthe traditional structure of olitics has broken down in France, and the country is now divided into three camps. In these elections, the turnout was exceptionally high, but in a polarized country, that is not a given. Many are disillusioned with the entire political system.
The firewall against the far-right still held, but there is no guarantee that in the next elections a united front against the far-right will emerge and last as firmly.
Whatever the composition of the new government, it is united only by the will to prevent Marine Le Pen from winning the 2027 presidential election. The incoming government must find convincing solutions to the problems that caused ten million French people to vote for the far-right in these general elections.
The editorials are HS’s positions on a current topic. The articles are prepared by HS’s editorial department, and they reflect the journal principle line.
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