As summer finally arrives in France, the country is heading into uncharted territory on its final day of the election campaign. The polls suggest that the recycled former National Front, now called the National Regrouping under Marine Le Pen, is close to achieving a strong majority, which could disrupt President Emmanuel Macron’s governability and authority.
The National Regrouping (RN) has 36% of voting intentions, just two days before the first round of legislative elections. This puts them ahead of the New Popular Front, a coalition of the socialist left, communists, ecologists, and radicals from La France Insoumise led by Jean Luc Melénchon. The presidential party, led by Macron, is lagging behind and could lose more than 140 seats in the National Assembly.
Macron’s decision to dissolve Parliament after his defeat in the European elections was seen as an act of self-destruction by his peers. This has left many democrats worried about being caught between the ultra-right of Le Pen’s party and the revolutionary ultra-left of Melénchon’s coalition.
The latest surveys suggest that the National Rally and its allies are leading in voting intentions, with a projected solid relative or even absolute majority in the National Assembly. This has sparked concerns among various groups, including Muslims, children of immigration