Dina Mahmoud (Paris, London)
Yesterday began the final week of electoral campaigns preceding the French legislative elections, the first round of which is scheduled to be held on the 30th of this month, after President Emmanuel Macron called for it, following the disappointing results achieved by his centre-right coalition against the “National Rally” party, which has… Extreme right-wing trends in the recent European Parliament elections.
With the closing of the door last Sunday evening for the registration of the names of candidates wishing to run in the ballot, the second and decisive round of which will be held on the seventh of next July, analysts in Paris described the current electoral campaign as “hectic,” in light of its short duration on the one hand, and in light of the current polarization. On the French political scene, on the other hand.
Opinion polls indicate the possibility that the upcoming poll will witness a repeat of the victory achieved by the “National Rally” led by the young right-wing politician Jordan Bardella in the European elections, when the party obtained more than 31% of the French voters’ votes.
If the results of the recent polls are embodied in reality, and the “National Rally” wins up to 265 of the 577 seats in Parliament, the party, which was founded under the name “National Front for French Unity” in 1972, will be able to form a ruling coalition with the right-wing forces. The other is what will turn Macron into a “lame duck” in the remainder of his presidential term, which extends until 2027. The French president’s position is further embarrassed by the coalition supporting him, which consists of the “Ennahda,” “Afaq,” and “Democratic Movement” parties. , ranked third on the list of political forces in the country, according to the latest opinion polls, which put the extreme right in the lead. While the “National Rally” pledges to significantly reduce illegal immigration, reduce the value-added tax on electricity, gas and fuel consumption, as well as seek to privatize government radio and television channels, the “New Popular Front” focuses on increasing the minimum wage and undoing the law. The current government’s decisions regarding raising the legal age for retirement, in addition to re-imposing a wealth tax.
In the face of the remarkable advance of the far right in the opinion polls, leaders in the ruling Ennahda party demanded that Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who enjoys great popularity, lead the electoral campaign for the presidential coalition, amid attempts by Macron’s supporters to focus on the young age of the Rally leader. “The National,” who was only 28 years old, said that his recent experience in politics does not qualify him to head the government if his party wins the elections.
List of skeptics
According to the website of Radio France Internationale, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy joined the list of skeptics about the ability of Jordan Bardella, who was born in 1995, to hold the reins of power, saying that this young politician had never before been “responsible for anything.” “And it is difficult for him to assume the leadership of the French state.
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