Questions French voters asked
- Gilles Verniers
- Jul 8, 2024, 20:59 IST IST
Yes, far-right was kept out of govt. But can mainstream parties work together to govern? Do they realise centralisation weakens democracies? That mimicking extremist politics is dangerous?
Snap elections to France’s National Assembly resulted in a hung parliament and a defeat of the far-right, which, just a week ago, delivered a historic performance in the first round of the legislative polls. Institutional and political barriers have stood, but barely. National Rally (NR) scored its best performance in National Assembly (135 seats), emerging as the first party in terms of votes (32%).
After the withdrawal of 220 candidates between the two rounds, held on June 30 and July 7, NR stood in 29 triangular contests and won 10 of them. That it won most of its seats in bipolar contests attests to the deepening of its support in French national politics. The good news is that despite such relative success, most French voters rejected the idea of the far-right in office. Most continue to see it for what it is: a racist, xenophobic, antisemitic party with a tainted history. A party which, during the campaign, raised doubts, among other things, about millions of French binationals’ loyalty to the state.
After the withdrawal of 220 candidates between the two rounds, held on June 30 and July 7, NR stood in 29 triangular contests and won 10 of them. That it won most of its seats in bipolar contests attests to the deepening of its support in French national politics. The good news is that despite such relative success, most French voters rejected the idea of the far-right in office. Most continue to see it for what it is: a racist, xenophobic, antisemitic party with a tainted history. A party which, during the campaign, raised doubts, among other things, about millions of French binationals’ loyalty to the state.
