The political landscape in France is shifting rapidly as parties maneuver to secure their positions ahead of the upcoming elections. A week after President Emmanuel Macron’s surprising decision to dissolve parliament, the official start of France’s early election campaign began on Monday. Final lists of candidates and alliances were hastily concluded leading up to the June 16 deadline for party submissions.
Fears of the far right coming to power led to large demonstrations in France over the weekend, with 250,000 protestors (640,000 according to the union) taking to the streets. The right-wing party LR (les Républicains) is working to provide clarity to voters, deciding whether to join the presidential majority or align with RN. On the left, a New Popular Front alliance has been formed in a matter of days, ranging from small anti-capitalist parties to social democrats like ex-president François Hollande. Despite fundamental differences, this alliance aims to hold back RN and has received support from former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.
The polls are set to take place on June 30 and July 7, with the far-right party RN (Rassemblement National) favored after a strong showing in the European elections. A poll commissioned by BFMTV and La Tribune dimanche shows that one in three French voters want RN to win the elections, one in four support the left-wing alliance, and one in five favor Macron’s party, Renaissance. The political class has been thrown into intense machinations as parties scramble to form alliances and finalize their candidates.
